Italian mobile operators Telecom Italia, Vodafone Italia and Wind have each taken two blocks of 800MHz band spectrum in Italy’s ongoing frequency auction.
Italy’s Ministry of Economic Development announced the latest results of the auction process…
Italian mobile operators Telecom Italia, Vodafone Italia and Wind have each taken two blocks of 800MHz band spectrum in Italy’s ongoing frequency auction.
Italy’s Ministry of Economic Development announced the latest results of the auction process last night.
It revealed that the three telcos had bid over E1.4bn (US$1.9bn) in total for the 800MHz spectrum, which is being freed up as part of the digital dividend.
Hong Kong-based conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa’s 3 Italia, the other Italian telco taking part in the process, was not awarded any spectrum in this band.
Overall, the Italian government has so far raised more than E3.7bn (US$5bn) from the whole auction process, which has been allocating spectrum in the 800MHz, 1.8GHz, 2GHz and 2.6GHz bands.
At the time of going to press, Telecom Italia and 3 Italia had won one block each in the 1.8GHz band, and there is another still available. In the 2GHz band, there was one block still free, and in the 2.6GHz band, 3 Italia had won four blocks and the other three telcos had each won three blocks. There was still one block up for grabs.
The process is continuing, with more results expected to be announced tonight.
Italy’s government has previously outlined intentions to raise a minimum of E3.1bn from the sale of its 4G frequencies.
But it had been feared that local broadcasters’ calls for higher compensation from the auction of their spectrum could delay the process, and reduce the value of the frequencies.
TV channels had asked the government to double its offer of 10% of auction proceeds, in exchange for relinquishing the frequencies they hold.