Belgian 5G auction due in 2022, decision on fourth operator pending

Orange Belgium NV

27/05/2021 15:12

By Marine Strauss
    BRUSSELS, May 27 (Reuters) - Belgium plans to auction 5G
mobile licences in spring 2022, after the federal and regional
governments approved a draft law on Thursday about the spectrum
auction.
    The draft leaves room for a fourth player in the market but
no decision has yet been taken about whether to allow a fourth
operator, a spokesperson for Telecom Minister Petra De Sutter
said.
    The federal and regional governments are due to meet again
before the summer recess, and could decide on the issue then.
    The federal government previously wanted to encourage the
entry of a fourth mobile operator to increase competition with
Proximus  PROX.BR , Belgium's largest operator, Orange Belgium
 OBEL.BR  and Telenet's BASE  TNET.BR .
    "We think investors and the different players were anxiously
expecting a decision on the fourth player, putting pressure on
all Belgian telecom share prices over the last week," said David
Vagman, an analyst at ING, adding that pressure on prices should
ease for now in the absence of any decision.
    Belgium's plans for a 5G spectrum auction has been at an
impasse for years due to a disagreement between federal and
regional governments.
    

 (Reporting by Marine Strauss @StraussMarine; Editing by Philip
Blenkinsop and Edmund Blair)
 ((Marine.Strauss@thomsonreuters.com; +32 2 287 6830; Reuters
Messaging: marine.strauss.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))