Romania’s National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) has published draft tender documents for the auction of spectrum in the 700MHz, 1500MHz, 2600MHz and 3400MHz-3800MHz frequency bands later this year. Following analysis of several factors, the regulator has proposed a reserve price of EUR694 million (USD693 million) for user rights to 555MHz of frequencies in the four bands.
The usage rights will take effect in 2023 or 2026 and have a validity of 20 years, except for the rights in the 2600MHz band which will apply for six years and three months, in order to align them with the existing rights in the band. According to the tender documentation, ANCOM proposes that the winning bidders ensure broadband coverage of most urban areas, existing motorways, international airports and modernised railways, as well as 600 localities identified as having no or poor mobile coverage.
The Authority proposes to allocate the spectrum as follows:
• six blocks of 2×5MHz in the 700MHz band FDD (703MHz-733MHz/758MHz-788MHz), valid for 20 years from 1 January 2023; reserve price of EUR55 million per lot
• three unpaired blocks of 5MHz SDL in the 700MHz band (738MHz-753MHz); 20 years from 1 January 2023; EUR14 million per lot
• eight unpaired blocks of 5MHz SDL in the 1500MHz band (1452MHz-1492MHz); 20 years from 1 January 2023; EUR6 million per lot
• four blocks of 2×5 MHz FDD in the 2600MHz band (2550MHz-2570MHz/2670MHz-2690MHz); valid from 1 January 2023 to 5 April 2029; EUR3.25 million per lot
• 40 unpaired blocks of 10MHz TDD in the band 3400MHz-3800MHz; 20 years from 1 January 2026; EUR6.5 million per lot.
Interested parties are invited to submit their comments on the proposed licence fees and payment conditions by 27 July and the selection procedure before 10 August.