Optus, Telstra, TPG, Vodafone win 1800 MHz auction

Optus, Telstra, TPG and Vodafone have emerged as the winners of a recent 1800 MHz regional spectrum auction that raised a total of $543.5 million.

The auction conducted by ACMA ran for 179 rounds of intense bidding over 29 working days. It finally concluded on Thursday.

Optus emerged as the highest bidder in the auction, paying a total of $196 million for 2 x 20 MHz of spectrum in five regions and 2 x 25 MHz of spectrum in seven.

The company revealed plans to use the spectrum to expand its LTE coverage to more places around the country. The 4G network currently covers around 90% of the population.

“When combined with our existing assets, this additional spectrum allows Optus to support Australia’s growing demand for data services in regional Australia,” Optus CEO Allen Lew said.

“Giving more retail and business customers access to superfast 4G in more places underpins our strategy to be a mobile-led entertainment company.”

Telstra meanwhile bid $191 million for its regional spectrum blocks, while TPG will pay $88 million and Vodafone Australia will pay $68 million.

The 1800 MHz band is the most popular spectrum globally for LTE services. It is already being used extensively to provide 4G in Australia’s major cities.

“With previously unallocated 1800 MHz spectrum in regional areas now in the hands of mobile broadband service providers, the auction should enable improvements to the availability and performance of 4G telecommunications services right across regional Australia,” ACMA Chairman Chris Chapman said.

Image courtesy of Clive Darra under CC