MdSE awards 3G frequencies

Italian regulator the Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico (MdSE) has announced that the auction of UMTS spectrum vacated by Ipse 2000 has been successfully concluded. Existing 3G operators Telecom Italia (TI), Wind and Vodafone Italia were each awarded two 5MHz blocks of spectrum, one in the 1920MHz-1935Mhz frequency band and one in the 2110MHz-2125MHz range. The auction raised EUR267.8 million (USD376 million) for the MdSE with Vodafone Italia paying EUR90.2 million, while TI and Wind each paid EUR88.8 million for the nationwide concessions. The operators are expected to make payment within 30 days and the spectrum will be made available in the next three months.