Three of Slovenia’s four mobile network operators have secured spectrum in an auction that raised €148.74m for the state, with Telekom Austria (TA) unit Si.mobil buying almost half.
The three largest carriers – Telekom Slovenije, Si-mobil and…
Three of Slovenia’s four mobile network operators have secured spectrum in an auction that raised €148.74m for the state, with Telekom Austria (TA) unit Si.mobil buying almost half.
The three largest carriers – Telekom Slovenije, Si-mobil and Tusmobil respectively – all won spectrum in the LTE auction, national telecoms regulator Akos said.
Smallest operator T-2 did not participate in the process.
Si.mobil paid €63.9m for 48% of available spectrum. TA said that the group will finance the purchase with existing cash. The Slovenian unit acquired its first lots of 800 MHz, 2.6 GHz FDD and 2.6 GHz TDD spectrum and additional frequencies in the 900 MHz, 1.8 GHz and 2.1 GHz TDD ranges.
Si.mobil aims to extend LTE services to 50% of the national population this year and to 95% within three years.
Telekom Slovenije paid €64m for spectrum in the same bands as Si.mobil, according to a company spokesperson. According to TA data, the incumbent acquired slightly less spectrum, specifically lesser amounts in the 1. 8 GHz and 2.1 GHz TDD bands.
Telekom Slovenije, which has already extended LTE coverage to 60% of the population, is “quite satisfied” with the outcome of the auction, the spokesperson said, noting that it secured a “sufficient amount” of suitable spectrum.
“We paid the best possible price to obtain the optimum frequency range that we require for further development and upgrades as well as additionally strengthening the Telekom Slovenije mobile network with state of the art technologies, which is all in accordance with the company’s set strategic business plan.”
Meanwhile, privately-owned Tusmobil paid about €20.8m for spectrum in the 800 MHz, 900 MHz and 1.8 GHz bands.
The licences for the new 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz spectrum run from mid 2014 to mid 2029. The 2.1 GHz TDD licence runs from mid 2014 to September 2021, and the 900 MHz and 1.8 GHz licences from January 2016 to January 2031.
Two blocks available spectrum in the 1.8 GHz band and one in the 2.1 GHz FDD band were unsold.
