Australia has raised A$543.5m (US$390.45m) from its 1800 MHz spectrum auction with Telstra and Optus spending by far the most, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has announced. Optus was the biggest spender, shelling out A$196m (US$140.78m) in the 4G auction, which began on 30 November last year and ran over 197 rounds.
Australia has raised A$543.5m (US$390.45m) from its 1800 MHz spectrum auction with Telstra (ASX:TLS) and Optus spending by far the most, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has announced.
Optus was the biggest spender, shelling out A$196m (US$140.78m) in the 4G auction, which began on 30 November last year and ran over 197 rounds, enabling bidders to bid on airwaves in the geographical areas they valued most.
Telstra, the largest wireless carrier, spent A$191m (US$137.22m); ISP TPG (ASX:TPM), which last year bought rival iiNet for A$1.56bn to overtake Optus as the second-largest fixed-line player, spent A$88m (US$63.22m) and Vodafone spent A$66m (US$47.42m).
The licences run until June 2028.
ACMA chairman Chris Chapman noted that 1800 MHz spectrum is already used extensively in major Australian cities, mainly to provide 4G telecoms services. Airwaves acquired at the auction should enable operators to extend access right across regional Australia, he said.
Optus and Telstra both acquired spectrum in all 12 states and territories, TPG in nine and Vodafone, which missed out on airwaves in the May 2013 digital dividend auction, in five.
Six lots of spectrum went unsold: two in Central Queensland and one each in South Queensland, Western NSW, Tasmania and Regional WA.
