The Ministry of Communication finally gave the go-ahead to the long awaited WiMax license auction for the 3.5 GHz band. The whole process is expeced to last about three months from today.
Almost as expected, spectrum will be auctioned in three blocks of 2x21 MHz each, with one of the block reserved for operators not already owning an UMTS license.
Two blocks will be licensed in each of the seven macroregions:
1.Lombardia, Province Autonome di Trento e Bolzano
2.Valle d’Aosta, Piemonte, Liguria, Toscana
3. Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Marche
4.Umbria, Lazio, Abruzzo, Molise
5.Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria
6.Sicilia
7.Sardegna
The third block (reserved to non UMTS operator) will be licensed a regional basis.
The base price for the auction for each macroregion ranges from € 400k to € 3.5m, while the base price for the auction for each region ranges from € 40k to € 3m, totalling € 45m.
Each winner of the 15 year long renawable but not tradeable licenses must guarantee a minimum coverage in the area within 30 months in order to keep its license.