Romania’s National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) has opened a consultation regarding plans to auction short-term spectrum licences for unused frequencies in the 800MHz, 2600MHz and 3.5GHz bands later this year. The sale, which is likely to precede the delayed sale of 5G-suitable spectrum, could raise more than EUR70 million (USD83 million).
ANCOM intends to auction 195MHz of frequencies, with licence expiry aligned with existing permits in the bands, as follows: one block of 2×5MHz FDD in the 800MHz band (791MHz-796MHz/832MHz-837MHz), valid between 1 January 2022 and 5 April 2029; eight lots of 2×5MHz FDD in the 2600MHz band (2530MHz-2570MHz/2650MHz-2690MHz), for a period between 1 January 2022 and 5 April 2029; one block of 15MHz TDD in the band 2600MHz (2600MHz-2615MHz), for a period between 1 January 2022 and 5 April 2029; and 18 5MHz TDD blocks in the 3.5GHz (3400MHz-3490MHz) band, for a period between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2025.
The regulator has proposed the following starting price for user rights in the bands: EUR22 million per paired block in the 800MHz band; EUR4.3 million per paired block and EUR3.5 million for the unpaired block in the 2600MHz band; and EUR700,000 for an unpaired block in the 3.5GHz band. The licence fees are to be paid within 15 days from the announcement of the final results of the auction.
In a press release setting out the plan, ANCOM vice-president Bogdan Iana commented: ‘Expanding the capacity of radio electronic communications networks has become a necessity in the context of the rapid growth of data traffic and the economic, industrial and social importance of the digital economy. This is the reason why we intend to organise a tender for the allocation of the rights to use the spectrum remaining available following the selection procedures carried out by the Authority in 2012 and 2015.’