News
The country’s 5G auctions have already been delayed a number of times, as government and regulatory bodies struggled to nail down the small print
The Dutch government has confirmed that it will hold its 700MHz 5G spectrum auction between Q4 2019 and Q1 2020, with a further 3.5GHz auction pencilled in for a year later.
The Netherlands’ 5G spectrum auctions have been delayed numerous times, most recently because the country’s government said that it needed more time to study the economic potential of 5G in the country.
The country’s State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Mona Keijzer, presented the new policy on Tuesday and confirmed that at least three mobile network operators will be issued with 5G licences, which will; come with minimum service obligations.
The Dutch government has stipulated that MNOs must deliver 5G services to 98 per cent of the population if they are to hang onto their 5G licences. The Dutch government claims that by attaching these minimum service obligations to the spectrum it puts up for sale, it can guarantee network speeds of between 100Mbps and 2Gbps for consumers across the country.
The 5G auctions were originally slated to take place in early 2018 but have been delayed multiple times since then.
Also in the news:
Dutch spectrum auction delayed over pricing concerns
KPN begins 1 million property FTTH rollout
