Australian operators Optus and Telstra have secured spectrum in the 850/900 MHz band, Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said in a statement.
ACMA said that all 16 lots available in the spectrum auction were allocated. The allocation raised a total of AUD2.09 billion ($1.4 billion).
The regulator said Optus secured 12 lots of 900MHz spectrum for AUD1.48 billion, while Telstra won four lots of 850MHz spectrum for AUD616 million.
ACMA acting Chair Creina Chapman said the spectrum has been designed to support the deployment of 4G and 5G networks across Australia. “The successful allocation of 850/900 MHz band spectrum is another important step forward for Australia’s transition to 5G, and the deployment of new technologies,” Chapman added.
Optus CEO, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, said: “With this additional spectrum, and our existing mid and high band spectrum, we can continue to deliver great coverage and bring the benefits of our technology leadership to more Australians. We applaud the Government for prioritizing competition and consumer interests in ensuring a competitive auction process that has also delivered more equitable holdings of this critical low band spectrum.”
Licenses won at auction will come into force on 1 July 2024, for a 20-year term ending in 2044. Winning bidders may have the opportunity to obtain early access to the spectrum under special circumstances before licenses commence, ACMA said.
In April, five operators had secured spectrum in the 26 GHz band. Of the 360 lots available in the auction, 358 were sold, realizing a total revenue of AUD647.6 million.
In the auction, Telstra secured a total of 150 lots for AUD276.6 million, while Optus obtained 116 blocks for AUD226.2 million. TPG Telecom paid AUD108.2 million for 86 lots; Pentanet AUD7.9 million for four lots in Western Australia; and Dense Air paid a total of AUD28.6 million for two lots in Sydney and Melbourne.
Telstra won 1,000 megahertz in all major cities and regional areas where the 26 GHz spectrum was sold, while Optus secured 800 megahertz of spectrum in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and a range of regional areas, and 600 megahertz in Hobart and Margaret River in WA. Meanwhile, TPG Telecom acquired 400 megahertz in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, and 600 megahertz in Brisbane and all other metropolitan and regional areas.
Australian operator Telstra said that its current 5G coverage footprint currently reaches 75% of the country’s population. Telstra 5G’s network reaches more than 2,700 suburbs and over 200 cities and towns across Australia.
Telstra, which had launched 5G in May 2020, is currently using its spectrum in the 3.6 GHz band to provide 5G technology across Australia. Some of the cities in which Telstra offers its 5G service are Canberra, Central Coast, Brisbane, Sidney, Cairns, Gold Coast, Adelaide, Hamilton, Melbourne and Perth.
Optus currently has more than 1,300 5G sites across Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra as well as key areas outside of these cities.
Earlier this year, Optus said it had switched on its first six 5G mmWave commercial sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Meanwhile, TPG Telecom announced that it had switched on a live 5G standalone (SA) network in Australia on the 700 MHz spectrum band through a partnership with Nokia.
The 5G SA service was initially available in parts of Sydney.
