ARCEP announced that the auction for 4G licenses were open. The? Yes, because there are two bands, one around 2.6 GHz, the other closer to 800 MHz. The first allows a wide bandwidth - there are 70 MHz to share - the second has the advantage of covering a larger distance and thus would cover the campaigns, even if it offers "only" 30 MHz.
For the 2.6 GHz band, 70 MHz will be divided into lots of 5 MHz with a minimum of 10 MHz per operator and a maximum of 30 MHz, to avoid competitive imbalances. Four licenses will be awarded by auction, for a period of 20 years. The availability of frequencies depends on the region: no earlier than October 1, 2011, no later than 1 March 2014, with a coverage requirement of 75% of the territory in 12 years.
For the 2.6 GHz band, 70 MHz will be divided into lots of 5 MHz with a minimum of 10 MHz per operator and a maximum of 30 MHz, to avoid competitive imbalances. Four licenses will be awarded by auction, for a period of 20 years. The availability of frequencies depends on the region: no earlier than October 1, 2011, no later than 1 March 2014, with a coverage requirement of 75% of the territory in 12 years.
