Norway’s telecom regulator on Tuesday opened a consultation into its planned sale of 900-MHz spectrum that is currently in the hands of Telenor and TeliaSonera.
The Norwegian Communications Authority (Nkom) has outlined a draft framework for the sale, which is planned for mid-2016. The telco’s licences expire at the end of 2017.
It proposes auctioning the 20 MHz of 900-MHz spectrum at a minimum price of 140 million kroner (€16 million) per 5-MHz block. The watchdog has suggested a cap of 20 MHz per operator, which includes existing holdings.
"Nkom is also of the opinion that it is important to ensure that all licence holders in the band are allocated contiguous spectrum," the regulator said.
Interested parties have until 10 August to respond to the consultation.
Nkom said it will make a final decision on the auction framework on conclusion of the consultation and will publish its plans in mid-October.
It expect s to launch a further consultation on the auction rules next year with a view to kicking off auction proceedings before the end of the first half.
