Legislative amendments required by spectrum auction in the 800 MHz frequency band are near completion. The Government submitted a bill on the matter for approval to the President of the Republic on Thursday 1 November. The President is expected to approve the bill on Friday 2 November.
The amendments to the Act on auctioning certain radio frequencies will enter into force on 8 November. Registration for the auction is due to begin before the end of the year, and the auction is to be held in early 2013.
Parliament requires that before licences for mobile communications are granted in the 700 MHz band, an analysis needs to be conducted on the impacts of the 800 MHz spectrum auction on competition in the field and on consumer prices. The results of the analysis must be taken into account in the allocation of 700 MHz frequencies.
In the 800 MHz band, a total of 2x30 MHz of frequencies are for sale, to be auctioned in 2x5 MHz frequency pairs. A starting price will be set for the frequencies, generating auction revenue of at least EUR 100 million to the State.
Those registering for the auction will have to pay a participation fee of EUR 65,000 to cover the administrative costs of the process.
Further information
Ms Kaisa Laitinen, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 40 772 7643
Mr Olli-Pekka Rantala, Director of Communications Market Unit, tel. +358 50 344 3400
