Proximus acquires half of the available spectrum rights in the 1400 MHz band for an amount of EUR 109 million
In the context of the spectrum auction, which just came to a conclusion, Proximus has secured 45 MHz of spectrum in the 1400 MHz band, in addition to the recently acquired spectrum package in the 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz, 700 MHz and 3600 MHz bands. These spectrum licenses represent a total investment of EUR 600 million for a period of 20 years (18 years for the 3600 MHz band).
The last phase of the spectrum auction, organized by the telecom regulator BIPT, ended this morning. Proximus has obtained 45 MHz of spectrum in the 1400 MHz band, out of the 90 MHz put up for auction. This will allow to increase mobile capacity and thus keep up with its customers' data usage, which is expected to continue growing in the coming decades. Moreover, it further strengthens Proximus' relative position in terms of spectrum assets, which was already strong after the first phase of the auction.
Keen on providing the best mobile experience to its customers, Proximus managed to secure more spectrum than other mobile players. This is crucial, as this scarce resource, guaranteed for the next 20 years, will be an essential factor in confirming Proximus' leading position in mobile.
| Frequency band |
Bandwidth | Price (in million euro) |
|---|---|---|
| 700 MHz | 2x10 MHz | 122.87 |
| 900 MHz | 2x10 MHz | 57.41 |
| 1800 MHz | 2x25 MHz | 109.88 |
| 2100 MHz | 2x25 MHz | 144.59 |
| 3600 MHz | 100 MHz | 56.32 |
| 1400 MHz | 45 MHz | 108.89 |
| Total | 599.96 | |
Proximus is looking to build the best gigabit network for Belgium and is already rolling out fiber on a large scale. We are therefore very satisfied with the outcome of this auction. The valuable spectrum package we have acquired will allow us to roll out 5G in an optimal way and make a difference in terms of network quality, as we aim to offer the best mobile experience in Belgium.
