Finland’s Ministry of Transport and Communications (Liikenne-ja viestintaministerio, MoTC) and the Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (Viestintavirasto, FICORA) have jointly confirmed the conclusion of the state’s auction of 5G-suitable spectrum, with three companies securing frequencies in the 3.5GHz (3410MHz-3800MHz) band. Telia Finland emerged as the biggest spender, having bid EUR30.258 million (USD35.1 million) for block ‘A’ (3410MHz-3540MHz). For its part, Elisa Corporation has agreed to pay EUR26.347 million for its new spectrum (block ‘B’, 3540MHz-3670MHz), while DNA rounded out the winners with a EUR21.000 million bid for block ‘C’ (3670MHz-3800MHz).
In a press release confirming the outcome of the sale, the FICORA noted: ‘This auction is a concrete step towards the most advanced digital society in the world: Finland needs efficient, secure and increasingly faster communications connections to enable new services. One of FICORA’s key performance targets is to support Finland in becoming the 5G technology leader and thereby ensure access to advanced electronic services for every member of society.’