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A German court has ruled that the country’s 5G spectrum auction can proceed as planned, despite strong criticism from the county’s mobile network operators
Germany’s spectrum auction will go ahead as planned on Tuesday the 19th March, despite legal objections from all three of the country’s mobile network operators.
The country’s telecoms regulator, the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA), said that the country would proceed with the auction as planned.
“The date stands,” a BNetzA spokeswoman told reporters from Reuters.
The announcement came after a court in Cologne dismissed motions brought by Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica Deutschland and Vodafone.
Germany’s mobile network operators (MNOs) have filed legal objections to the minimum service obligations attached to the spectrum put up for sale.
German regulators have proposed that bidders on 5G spectrum must commit to provide 98 per cent of all German households with access to mobile broadband speeds of 100Mbps by the end of 2022.
Germany’s MNOs have also been wary of regulations that would force them to grant access to their network infrastructure if a potential fourth MNO were to enter the market.
Germany is expected to launch 5G mobile services in the first half of 2020.
Also in the news:
Telefonica Deutschland looks to stall Germany’s 5G auction
German regulator reveals 4 firms interested in 5G auction
DT reveals ambitious plans for rural 5G in Germany
