First Dutch 5G auction begins with 900 million euro floor

AMSTERDAM, June 29 (Reuters) - The first Dutch government
auction of bandwidth for 5G networks began on Monday with a 900
million euro ($1 billion) floor and network owners KPN,
Vodafone and T-Mobile participating.

The Dutch government is selling bandwidth in the 700, 1400
and 2100Mhz airwave ranges.

Competitors will submit bids in a series of daily rounds
determined by the auctioneer. The auction must be finished by
Aug. 1, but an earlier outcome is likely. No company can take
more than 40% of the available bandwidth in each range.

The Dutch roll-out of 5G has lagged behind other European
countries, though Vodafone said in April it had begun offering
5G services over its existing 4G network.

The auction in the Netherlands of the 3.5Ghz range most
commonly associated with 5G has been delayed as the Dutch
government moves a ground satellite system that would interfere
with it to a new location.

The auction of that spectrum is expected in early 2022.
($1 = 0.8876 euros)
(Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Jan Harvey)