In the biggest spectrum auction in the country to date, AKOS, the Agency for Communications Networks and Services of the Republic of Slovenia has sold frequencies in the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz bands, as well as the available frequencies in the 2100 MHz band.
EU Member States were supposed to make available 800 MHz frequencies freed up by the transition to digital TV broadcasting for mobile communications by the start of 2013, however only a handful countries have managed to do so by the deadline prescribed.
The Slovene 800 MHz spectrum has now been auctioned off for the next 15 years and the 2100 MHz spectrum until September 2021. Sold were all available blocks, with the exception of two 20 MHz blocks in the 1800 MHz band and a 10 MHz block in the FDD 2100 MHz band. Operators are to be allocated the frequencies by the end of June at the latest.
Participating in the spectrum auction were the incumbent Telekom Slovenije, the biggest mobile services provider in the country, as well as the second and third biggest mobile operators, Simobil and Tušmobil. Together the operators will pay EUR 148.74m for the use of radio frequencies, a price significantly exceeding the asking price of EUR 104.6m.
The frequency auction is to secure the future development of telecommunication in Slovenia, especially fourth generation mobile telecommunications technology (4G).
Simobil was allocated the 800 MHz frequencies block and must, pursuant to the conditions set out by AKOS, cover at least 95% of the population of Slovenia in three years at the latest, with bandwidth of at least 10 Mbps from the base station to the mobile user terminal, which indoors equals about 1 Mbps. Simobil must at the same time cover certain rural areas that have poor fixed broadband coverage, providing both mobile services and a substitute for fixed broadband connections.
Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the spectrum auction, Telekom Slovenije, Simobil and Tušmobil must also, with spectrum under 1GHz, provide public mobile communications services to 25% of the Slovene population within one year of the auction, to 50% of the population within two years, and to 75% of the population within three years of the auction.
