Germany became the first country in Europe to auction off 700-MHz spectrum to mobile operators last week, but while other countries are also working to free up the band, some will not meet European Commission guidelines for making 700 MHz available for mobile by around 2020.
Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and Telefonica each picked up 10 MHz of paired 700-MHz spectrum in Germany, paying between €165.5 million and €171.6 million per 5 MHz block. The country raised just over €1 billion from the 700 MHz sale and €5.08 billion from its overall spectrum auction, which included airwaves in the 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 1500 MHz bands. The 1800 MHz band attracted the most bids, with the three operators together pledging €2.4 billion.
"With the award of the 700 MHz band, Germany takes a leading role in Europe," Deutsche Telekom said… <more>
