Irish 4G Auction Concluded

Comreg, the Irish Telecom authority, has concluded its 4G auction process in Ireland. The 4G auction netted over 480 million Euros from the sale of the 4G frequency spectrum with another 372 million Euros to be paid for a licence renewal prior by 2030.

The 4G frequency spectrum auction in Ireland covered three frequency bands in the 800MHz, 900 and 1800 MHz spectrum. The 800MHz band used to be used for analogue TV broadcasting while the 900MHz and 1800Mhz bands were previously used for GSM mobile transmission. The amount of spectrum now available for 4G networks is twice that previously assigned in these bands.

The four successful 4G auction bidders were Vodafone, Three, Meteor and O2. The assignment of 4G frequency spectrum won by the 4G mobile operators is shown below. The 4G auction winners must have a 4G network with 70% population coverage within 3 years.

Announcing the results of the auction, ComReg Chairperson, Alex Chisholm said: "The assignment of these spectrum rights by ComReg has been one of the most significant pieces of work undertaken by ComReg. It is a vital step that promotes competition and allows the next generation of advanced mobile services to be made available to Irish consumers and businesses from next year."