Poland’s government is looking to hold its delayed 5G spectrum auctions in early 2021.
The sale of 3.4GHz-3.8GHz spectrum was originally scheduled for this year, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic the government opted to cancel the auction process rather than delay it.
Local news outlet Dziennik Gazeta Prawna quoted Deputy Minister of Digitisation Wanda Buk as saying: “I believe that the allocation of the C-band block to operators will take place in the first quarter of 2021.”
Buk noted that cancelling rather than delaying the auctions was a strategic action as suspending the process could have resulted in one of the bidders launching a legal challenge, which would have caused further delays.
Explaining the rationale behind the move, Buk said: “it was a difficult decision – we chose the lesser evil.” TeleGeography reported that Polish regulation UKE would open a fresh consultation on the licensing process before the new auctions take place.
