ACMA aiming for single auction

According to recent reports the Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is keen to hold a single auction for spectrum that is to be used for 4G services.

According to recent reports the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has decided that it would like to hold one single auction for the sale of both the 700MHz and the 2.5GHz spectrum, which is to be used for network operators to improve 3G services and rollout 4G mobile broadband networks.

The announcement was made recently by ACMA’s general manager of digital transition Giles Tanner, who attended the ACMA RadComms conference in Sydney. He stated that two draft spectrum re-allocation recommendations had been released, which recommended that the minister the single auction was held next year. This means that the two spectrum bans would be auctioned off at the same time at one single auction rather than a separate auction being held for each.

Tanner said: “There are a few key reasons behind our decision to auction the two bands together. There are clear complementarity between the bands. Both bands are suitable for providing LTE [Long Term Evolution] services. Spectrum in the 700MHz band can provide coverage over a wide area and with high building penetration. The 2.5 GHz band, on the other hand, is suited to providing high data capacity in more densely populated, high demand areas. This means that from here, the allocation processes for the two bands will be aligned. Rather than working towards two auctions, we will be working towards one auction with two products on offer.”

Do you think it is a good idea to have both bans auctioned off at the same time?

Source – ZDNet