Nkom, the Norwegian communications regulator, has awarded licences for the use of 2×30 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band and 2×15 MHz of spectrum in the 2.1 GHz band. Under the spectrum caps used in the auction, Telenor and Telia were allowed to obtain at most 2×10 MHz in the 700 MHz band each, whilst ICE would have been allowed to obtain up to 2×15 MHz in the 700 MHz band and the 2×15 MHz available in the 2.1 GHz band. Potential entrants would have been allowed to obtain up to 2×20 MHz in the 700 MHz band and 2×15 MHz in the 2.1 GHz band each.
Two of the 700 MHz spectrum licensed are subject to obligations to provide coverage, one on main highways and the other on designated railway sections. Participants had an opportunity to offer to take on an additional coverage obligation on main motorways in exchange for a discount on their licence price, but this optional obligation remained unassigned.
The process ended with the following assignments:
- Telenor was assigned 2×10 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band subject to the coverage obligation on main highways, for a total auction price of NOK 180,000,000;
- Telia was assigned 2×10 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band subject to the coverage obligation on designated railway sections, for a total auction price of NOK 217,881,000; and
- ICE was assigned 2×10 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band and 2×15 MHz in the 2.1 GHz band, for a total auction price of NOK 337,176,000.
Further information on the award and its results is available from Nkom’s website.
DotEcon advised Nkom in the design and implementation of this award.