Swedish communications regulator PTS said its has completed the auction of 5G spectrum with just one day of bidding. Three bidders won permits for spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band and one acquired the entire available 2.3 GHz spectrum, raising nearly SEK 2.32 billion in total. The regulator said it will make its final licence award decisions within the next few days.
Telia Company bid SEK 760.25 million for 120 MHz from 3,500 MHz to 3,620 MHz; the Net4Mobility venture by Tele2 and Telenor bid SEK 665.50 million for 100 MHz from 3,620 MHz to 3,720 MHz; 3 Sweden bid SEK 491.25 million for 100 MHz from the 3,400-3,500 MHz range; and Teracom bid SEK 400 million for the available 80 MHz from 2,300 MHz to 2,380 MHz.
Telia said high frequency bands like 3.5 GHz will be especially important in densely populated areas and for creating dedicated 5G mobile networks to connect critical assets in areas such as manufacturing, at ports and in healthcare. It said it will pay for the 25-year licence within 30 days. Telia said that with 120 MHz, it has acquired more than any other operator in Sweden, demonstrating its commitment to extending its 5G network leadership position in the country.
Teracom said its aim was to acquire 5G frequencies suitable for its socially critical operations. The spectrum will enable Teracom to develop a mobile network with full flexibility, said CEO Asa Sundberg.
Tele2 and Telenor Sweden said that in connection with the auction, they have finalised their vendor procurement and chosen Ericsson and Nokia as partners for the joint nationwide 5G radio access network. They said this will increase speed and coverage while lowering latency for both consumers and businesses. Combined with the frequencies that Net4Mobility won in the 700 MHz auction 2018, the venture will be able to commence the nationwide roll-out of 5G, and make a significant upgrade of the existing 4G network, increasing speeds by up to 200 percent and improving coverage.
As previously announced, Tele2 has chosen Nokia as vendor for its core network in both Sweden and the Baltic countries. Tele2 will run and monitor its Swedish 5G network from within Sweden. Tele2 and Telenor said they remain the only Swedish operators able to provide consumers with actual 5G speeds.
Tele2 CTIO Yogesh Malik said that together with Telenor, it will invest billions in its largest network project in Sweden to date, upgrading existing base stations and adding thousands of new ones nationwide.
