Sweden plans new wireless broadband auction

Sweden’s telecoms regulator the PTS is planning to hold an auction of licences for WiMAX wireless broadband access in the 3.6GHz-3.8GHz frequency band in the fourth quarter of this year, to improve nationwide access to broadband services. According to the PTS’ website, the spectrum is sufficient for four licences per municipality; two FDD licences of 2×20MHz each and two TDD licences of 40MHz each. The 15-year licences are technology and service neutral and do not contain any rollout obligations. A bidder can purchase a maximum of one licence in each municipality. The type of auction will be an online SMRA (Simultaneous Multi-Round Auction). The open invitation for bids is scheduled for June with a final registration date in late August. The auction will begin in October or November and should take no more than two weeks. In June-August 2006 the PTS invited applications for municipality-based WiMAX licences, and the number of applications exceeded the number of licences available in all municipalities. Consequently, the watchdog decided on an auction process as the fairest method of spectrum allocation.