Belgium’s telecoms regulator has outlined the framework for its tender of 800MHz spectrum scheduled for November which offers favourable terms for new entrants to the country’s wireless market.
The Belgian Institute for Postal Services and…
Belgium’s telecoms regulator has outlined the framework for its tender of 800MHz spectrum scheduled for November which offers favourable terms for new entrants to the country’s wireless market.
The Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT) is offering three licences and should raise a minimum of €360m.
Interested parties have until 23 September to submit bids. Eligible candidates will be announced on 8 October ahead of the auction on 12 November.
Each licence consists of two 10MHz blocks available for 20 years, and the BIPT has set the minimum price at €120m. Bidders are only allowed to acquire one licence each.
Should newcomers win frequencies they will be subject to more favourable terms than the three existing network operators. State-controlled Belgacom, Orange’s (France Telecom’s) Mobistar and KPN’s Base would be required to offer a new entrant national roaming, and the build out requirements attached to a newcomer’s licence would be more relaxed.
A newcomer would also have the option to expand its holdings as two 15MHz blocks in the 2.6GHz band not allocated in 2011 would be available to acquire.
The 800MHz band was freed up after Belgian television’s digital switchover and is considered ideal for 4G due to the frequency range.
The European Commission’s Radio Spectrum Policy Programme (RSPP) requires member states to open up the 800Mz band for electronic communication services.