The outcomes of the highly anticipated 26 GHz band spectrum auction have been announced.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has concluded its auction of 2.4 GHz of spectrum in the 26 GHz (24.25–27.5 GHz) band. The 26 GHz auction is the first time millimetre wave spectrum suitable for 5G services has been made available for spectrum licensing in Australia.
The auction of mmWave spectrum is a milestone in Australia's 5G rollout and will allow network operators to deliver faster, high capacity services on top of their existing 5G services.
Telstra, Optus, Mobile JV (for TPG Telecom), Dense Air and Pentanet were all successful in securing 15 spectrum licences worth a total value of $647.64 million.
Licences were allocated in all of the 27 defined geographic locations identified for spectrum licensing in the 26 GHz band, and the ACMA will soon invite applications for area wide apparatus licences (AWL) in the 26 GHz band for areas outside defined locations.
The auction is the culmination of extensive work by the Department and ACMA to efficiently allocate this critical and finite resource efficiently in line with the Government's communication policy objectives for the band.