A priori, at the end of this year the last 5G auction should be held in Spain: that of the 26 GHz band. However, this process is in danger because the operators have asked to delay this event for at least a year until 2023 or even 2024.
The public consultation on how the auction should be has been the trigger that shows that the operators are not up to the task yet.
“not enough demand”
The feedback collected by the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure makes the position of the operators clear: “They consider that there is currently no demand for this band, so it makes no sense to prepare an auction.”
It is also considered that the operators have already made many investments with respect to the increase of spectrum, infrastructure preparation and deployment of 5G, in addition to the obligations to expand 5G coverage.
As for the 26 GHz band, they do not want to make the investment specifically because it is considered that “there are still no devices that work in that band and that its uses are not completely clear either.” The 26 GHz frequency offers the most spectrum. Thus, it is the one with the highest capacity of the three bands.
The four major national operators (Movistar, Orange, Vodafone and MásMóvil) have participated in this public consultation, as well as 30 other entities, including equipment manufacturers (Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia and Qualcomm), who have different opinions , since some do support the bidding process, while others believe that, indeed, the teams will not be “mature” until 2025.
The auction might not be delayed
Despite this point of view, it does not seem that the Government plans to modify its roadmap and that the auction of this last band will be held at the end of the year, as planned in the General State Budgets.
This is one of the reforms in the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan and it is also necessary to comply with what was agreed with the European Union, so the discontent of the operators is surely preferred to that of Brussels.
What does seem certain that it will be delayed is the UNICO-5G program for complete 5G rural coverage in places where 4G does not now arrive because there have been no valid proposals because none could meet the minimum requirements reflected in the call.
The grant contemplated money for the manufacturers of towers and passive networks, but not for the operators who later have to install the radio equipment so that these towers serve their purpose.