The draft sets telecom operators holding licenses for the use of frequency bands 900 MHz and 1,800 MHz will also be able to provide 4G telecom services via Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WIMAX technologies.
In September this year, ANCOM auctioned off 42 mobile telephony licenses valid from April 6, 2014 until 2029: six in the 800 MHz band, seven in the 900 MHz band, 15 in the 1,800 MHz band and 14 in the 2,600 MHz band, as well as three unpaired 15 MHz blocks in the 2,600 MHz band.
Following the auction, telecom operators Cosmote, Orange, RCS&RDS, Vodafone and 2K Telecom acquired, for EUR682.14 million, mobile telephony licenses in frequency bands 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1.800 MHz and 2.600 MHz. The telecom watchdog said at the time that the five operators acquired 85% of the available spectrum. ANCOM auctioned off frequency blocks totaling 575 MHz, at a starting price of EUR726.8 million.
The 4G technology can also be implemented in the 800 MHz and 2,600 MHz frequency bands starting 2014, following ANCOM’s auction.