The government aims to raise up to $2.9 billion with the sale of 5G frequencies
Italy’s Ministry of Economic Development (MISE) approved the tender conditions for the auctioning of 5G spectrum, which had been previously set by telecom regulator Agcom in May, the government said in a statement.
“With the publication of the call for tenders and the tender regulations, Italy is positioning itself as one of the leading countries in Europe for the development of the 5G,” the statement reads.
The Italian authorities are expecting to raise at least €2.5 billion ($2.91 billion) with the sale of 5G frequencies.
Agcom previously confirmed that the tender, which is initially scheduled for September, will include the auction of frequencies in 694 MHz to 790 MHz; 3.6 GHz to 3.8 GHz; and 26.5 GHz to 27.5 GHz bands.
The regulator added that two blocks of 80 megahertz and two blocks of 20 megahertz will be made available in the 3.6 GHz to 3.8G GHz bands, while five lots of 200 megahertz will be available in the 26.5GHz to 27.5 GHz bands.
Agcom also highlighted that the rules for the upcoming tender process are designed to help to create new entrants which focus purely on infrastructure. Local carriers Telecom Italia, Vodafone Italia, Wind Tre and Fastweb are expected to take part in the 5G auction.
Last month, Italian broadcaster Mediaset and media group Cairo Communication filed an appeal with a regional court against rules set by Agcom for an auction of 5G frequencies.
The frequencies in the 700 MHz band, which are expected to be awarded by the government for 5G, are currently used by several TV groups including Mediaset, state broadcaster RAI and Cairo, which would all have to free up the frequencies.
Local carriers Telecom Italia, Vodafone Italia, Wind Tre and Fastweb were initially expected to take part in the 5G auction. However, according to international press reports, Telecom Italia, Vodafone and Wind Tre have been considering a boycott of the 5G auction process as they believe that the starting price set by the regulator for the spectrum in the 700 MHz band is too high. Operators also reportedly consider the current rules of the auction to be too rigid for them to participate.
Italian operators are currently carrying out several trials to pave the way for the commercial launch of 5G services in the country.
Earlier this week, Vodafone Italia announced the completion of what it claims to be the first 5G data connection in Italy via New Radio Non-Standalone (NSA) standards. The company used Huawei and Nokia networks and devices at 3.7-3.8 GHz band made available by Italy’s Ministry of Economic Development (MISE) to complete the connection in the city of Milan.
In March this year, local carrier TIM, together with compatriot broadband provider Fastweb and vendor Huawei, announced the activation of the first 5G antenna in the city of Matera as part of a 5G trial being promoted by the Italian government. The BariMatera5G project will allow the Italian cities of Bari and Matera to be among the first areas in the world to be covered by the new generation of mobile technology.
Earlier this year, Huawei announced the completion of the first 5G trial in the city of Turin, in Italy, in partnership with TIM and Fastweb. Huawei said a net throughput of more than 3 Gbps has been achieved using 100 megahertz of spectrum. The 5G trial also reached a spectral efficiency of 30 bits/second/hertz, which is about 7 times higher than advanced 4G technology.
