Austria prepares for second round of 5G auctions

Rosenbauer International AG

20/12/2018 15:12

VIENNA, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Austria's telecoms regulator,
RTR, invited interested parties to discuss the conditions and
targets of its second auction of 5G licences on Thursday, weeks
before the first auction is scheduled to start.
    In contrast to Austria's first 5G auction of the 3.4 to 3.8
GHz band, which will mainly speed up data services in densely
populated areas and is scheduled for February, the 2020 licences
will not be divided among regions but be awarded nationwide. 
    The tender for the 700, 1,500 and 2,100 Mhz bands, which
will provide data rates needed for autonomous driving, will be
published next autumn and the auction is planned for the first
quarter of 2020, RTR said on Thursday.  
    Austria, a laggard in the European Union for fast broadband
connections, wants to become a 5G pioneer in Europe. It is among
the first in the European Union to auction the licences.
    "With the public consultation... we want to ensure that
Austrians are provided with extensive mobile broadband internet,
that roads are fit for automated driving and that competition
remains sustainable," said RTR chief Johannes Gungl.
    The country's economic power is largely based on
medium-sized enterprises and highly specialised small businesses
with many of them, including chip supplier AMS  AMS.VI ,
emissions test specialist AVL List and fire truck maker
Rosenbauer  RBAV.VI , market leaders in their niches. 
    The government wants to use 5G to help those businesses
connect machines, production sites and cars. It aims for main
traffic routes to have 5G services available by the end of 2023,
and to have "virtually nationwide" 5G coverage by the end of
2025.
    The regulator said it also aimed to attract new players from
other areas of business. "We are always happy about newcomers
who stimulate the market," Gungl said.    
    Industry experts have said that energy providers, which
provide the basis for data delivery, or carmakers, whose
electric vehicles will rely on the services, would be plausible
contenders. Even finance investors could be interested, they
said. 

 (Reporting by Kirsti Knolle; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
 ((kirsti.knolle@thomsonreuters.com; +43 1 53112 255; Reuters
Messaging: kirsti.knolle.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net    
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