Five bidders cleared for Belgium's 5G mobile licence auction

Orange Belgium NV

22/03/2022 10:40

By Marine Strauss
    BRUSSELS, March 22 (Reuters) - Belgium's telecom regulator
said on Tuesday it had cleared five operators for the country's
fifth-generation (5G) mobile licence auction in June, which is
set to bring a fourth company into the market.
    The government previously said it would encourage a fourth
entrant to increase competition with the largest operator
Proximus  PROX.BR , Orange Belgium  OBEL.BR  and Telenet's BASE
 TNET.BR .  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2SF1PT
    "Five mobile operators applied for the future auction and
all were declared eligible after examination," industry
regulator IBPT-BIPT said in a statement, adding that the auction
would define Belgium's mobile landscape for the next 20 years.
    It did not name the operators. The auction will cover the
new main 5G licences and existing 2G and 3G spectrum.
    The country's plans for a 5G auction were blocked for years
by disagreements between federal and regional governments.

 (Reporting by Marine Strauss @StraussMarine, editing by Philip
Blenkinsop, Kirsten Donovan)
 ((Marine.Strauss@thomsonreuters.com; +32 2 287 6830; Reuters
Messaging: marine.strauss.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))