On Thursday, 6 October 2016, the Government issued a decree on the 700 megahertz spectrum auction. On 10 October, the Decree will enter into force and applications will be invited for licences for the frequency band.
The 700 MHz spectrum auction is expected to begin on 24 November 2016. Practical arrangements of the auction are the responsibility of the Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority.
The Decree lays down provisions on certain details of the action, such as the number of the frequencies to be granted, the auction format to be used, the starting price for the frequencies, the auction participation fee and the payment schedule for the licence fee. In other respects, provisions concerning the spectrum auction are laid down in the Information Society Code.
Altogether six frequency pairs of five MHz each will be auctioned off. The frequency pairs are within 703-733 and 758-788 MHz. No more than two frequency pairs of 5 MHz each may be allocated to any individual enterprise, organisation or association.
The starting price for the frequencies will be EUR 11 million per one frequency pair of five MHz. If all the frequences are sold, the State will receive at least EUR 66 million in revenues.
As of 2017, it will be possible to use the frequency bands to be auctioned for the construction of 4G networks. The aim of the auction is to ensure efficient use of the frequencies and access to high-quality wireless broadband.
Previous spectrum auctions took place in 2009 and 2013.
Inquiries: Kaisa Laitinen, Senior Adviser, tel. +358 295 34 2608, [email protected], Twitter @kaisa_laitinen
