Four more countries updated for 2024

As is often the case, auctions dominated the spectrum news in several countries over the past year. In Sweden, the regulator, PTS, held an auction of 900 MHz, 2.1 GHz and 2.6 GHz spectrum. The regulator plans to assign 1800 MHz spectrum in 2025, while frequencies in the 1500 MHz and 25.1—27.5 GHz ranges are slated for assignment in 2026 or later.

In Poland, the regulator, UKE, completed its highly-anticipated 3.6 GHz spectrum auction in 2023 after its first attempt from 2020 was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency is preparing to auction the 700 MHz band, but this is being held back by a lack of spectrum coordination agreements with its neighbours Ukraine and Russia.

Russia, of course, is a unique case. Its invasion of Ukraine and the resulting Western sanctions have left the country extremely isolated and its mobile network operators can’t get the foreign equipment they need to develop their 4G networks. With a backdrop like this, the launch of 5G—which the government insists will be in the 4.4—4.9 GHz band—remains highly uncertain.

Italy seems to have had a relatively quiet year in spectrum terms, with the regulator focusing on planning future use of the 26 GHz band.

All these profiles now come with ready-made country-specific charts providing information on mobile spectrum holdings, prices in mobile awards, economic indicators, regulatory activity, upcoming and recent spectrum awards and population data. That’s all courtesy of the Data Explorer. Check out the links in the right-hand column of each profile.

Spectrum Research Service subscribers can now access the following country profiles:

• Italy
• Poland
• Russia
• Sweden

The remaining country profiles will be published very soon.