Poland’s Office of Electronic Communications (UKE) has announced the start of the consultation process for the 5G auction on the C-band, with the auction itself set to take place on 20 December. 

The 5G auction in Poland, which was suspended in March 2020 due to the pandemic, has been eagerly anticipated as a key milestone in the development of the country’s 5G network. The auction will see the 3480-3800 MHz C-band divided into four 80 MHz blocks, with each block set at a reserve price of PLN450m (approximately $117m). The spectrum will be reserved for 15 years.

In return for the spectrum, operators will be required to make certain quantitative and qualitative commitments. Quantitatively, each operator must have at least 3,800 base stations operating in the C-band within three years of the start of implementation. Qualitatively, operators must meet coverage, capacity and latency targets for different parts of the country, including the national area, residential premises, regional roads, national roads and railway lines. For example, in the national area, operators must achieve a minimum of 85% coverage and at least 30 Mbps of capacity within 12 months, increasing to 90% coverage and 50 Mbps of capacity within 36 months. Latency targets will also be introduced in later periods.

The auction will also see a number of other commitments imposed on operators, including the obligation to provide coverage in rural areas and the deployment of 5G in the 3.4-3.8 GHz band in at least 20% of the planned base stations within three years of the start of implementation.

The consultation process for the 5G auction on the C-band will run until 31 January 2023, after which the final rules for the auction will be published. The auction itself is set to take place on 20 December 2022.

Source: UKE