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FRANKFURT, June 16 (Reuters) - Bids exceeded 4 billion euros($4.5 billion) in Germany's auction of radio frequencies formobile phone network operators, data of the German telecomsregulator showed on Tuesday.
The auction started almost three weeks ago. Germany has seta floor at 1.5 billion euros for the bidders, which are DeutscheTelekom, Telefonica Deutschland andVodafone.
Analysts have said they expected the auction to raise amaximum of between 4-5 billion euros, far below the 50.8 billioneuros the government raised in the auction in 2000 for new 3Gnetwork licenses, when there were six groups bidding.
The German government has earmarked the proceeds of theauction for fostering the development of a fast fixed-linebroadband network.
On Monday European Union state aid regulators approved a3-billion-euro support scheme to roll out fast-speed Internet inGermany, saying this was in line with the bloc's target ofpromoting such services. ($1 = 0.8851 euros) (Reporting by Peter Maushagen and Harro Ten Wolde; Editing byKirsti Knolle)
