5G telecoms auction ends with bidders stumping up €566.8 million total

  • Lusa
  • 28 October 2021

The main bidding phase of the '5G auction and other relevant bands' ended on Wednesday after 1,727 rounds and after 200 days.

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing (MIH) has welcomed the end of the 5G auction, warning that bidders “will be subject to compliance with the obligations set out in the auction regulations”, namely coverage.

In a statement, the ministry “welcomes the news advanced by Anacom (the telecoms regulator) that the main bidding phase of the ‘5G auction and other relevant bands’ ended on Wednesday after 1,727 rounds and after 200 days, which allows the conclusion of the bidding phases with the clearance of the total amount of €566.802 million.”

MIH then says that “it will now be necessary for Anacom to conclude the process, under the terms of the regulation, which will culminate with the attribution of the rights of use to the bidders.”

After that, it stresses, “the respective holders will be subject to compliance with the obligations established in the auction regulation, namely coverage obligations.

The government recalls that “purchasers who are holders of rights of use in bands destined for electronic communications will be obliged to cover 95% of the country’s total population and 90% of the population in each of the parishes considered to be of low density, in each of the parishes of Madeira and the Azores and in each of the parishes that are part of municipalities with low-density parishes.

The targets in question “were defined until 2025, with intermediate targets until the end of 2023 and 2024,” the same statement said.

According to Anacom data, NOS invested more than €165 million, followed by Vodafone Portugal, with €133.2 million.

Meo (Altice Portugal) invested more than €125 million, followed by Nowo (Masmóvil), with around €70.1 million, Dixarobil, with €67.3 million, and Dense Air (€5.7 million).