French telecom authority Arcep has confirmed that the final stage of the 5G award procedure has been postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. In mid-March, a spokesperson for the regulator said that a delay was on the cards for the auction's bidding phase, initially expected to start during April. The evolution of the health crisis will now determine when a new date can be set.
Within its statement, Arcep has also announced that Bouygues Telecom, Free Mobile, Orange and SFR have been successful in their applications for the first 200 MHz of 3.5 GHz spectrum, sold at a fixed price of EUR 350 million for each of the 50 MHz blocks on offer.
The four operators filed a tender package to participate in the bidding stage of the award procedure by the 25 February deadline. Arcep said that all candidates have qualified and will be able to bid for the remaining 110 MHz of spectrum available when the rescheduled auction goes ahead.
