The Polish government has called a temporary halt to the ongoing auction of 800MHz and 2600MHz 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) spectrum as it awaits the payment of deposits from the six registered bidders. RPKom reports that the total bid amount for the 19 frequency blocks has now reached PLN2 billion (USD480 million) and this has triggered the requirement that bidders hand over a deposit payment equivalent to 25% of their respective bid amount. The government has not said when the auction is expected to resume. The bidders include existing cellcos Orange Polska, T-Mobile Poland, Polkomtel and P4 (Play), plus a company associated with Emitel, and NetNet, which is owned by Szymon Ruta, who has links to Cyfrowy Polsat and Polkomtel.
Meanwhile, existing 800MHz licensee Sferia has signed a wholesale agreement with its sister companies Mobyland and Aero2 for the use of its 800MHz LTE spectrum. Sferia says the first phase of its network rollout will see the deployment of some 1,200 base stations, with around 5,000 sites needed nationwide to provide optimal coverage.