Austria’s A1 rolling out 5G in 350 locations ahead of the country’s second spectrum auction

Last year, Telkom Austria’s subsidiary A1 purchased spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band for €64.3 million. Now, it has announced the launch of what it claims will be the country’s largest 5G network, scheduled for January the 25th.

 

The network will span 54,000 km, covering 350 locations in 129 municipalities.

 

"5G is the basis of Austria’s future digitalisation and will open up unimagined opportunities for new services and applications,” said A1 Telekom Austria Group CEO, Thomas Arnoldner. “As A1, we were able to ensure that we purchased the best frequency equipment at the first 5G auction in 2019.”

 

The announcement comes ahead of the country’s second spectrum auction, which is scheduled for some time this spring. 

 

The national regulator, RTR, said last year that the second auction will have stipulations related to a rapid rural rollout, with requirements and incentives attached to the allocation of frequencies. This contrasts with the initial spectrum auction, which primarily saw densely populated urban areas targeted to receive the next generation technology. 

 

"Our goal is to make Austria one of the leading digital nations in Europe. This requires nationwide broadband coverage across Austria. We want rural areas in particular to benefit from this development,” said Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz last year.

 

Like so many countries, Austria remains on the fence about Huawei’s role in its 5G plans. In a statement two days ago, Kurz said that Austria wants “to be technology-neutral and at the same time guarantee maximum safety”. However, he also noted that the country would coordinate its decision with its European partners.