Frequency auction
May 21, 2010
Auctioning off new fourth generation mobile frequencies has brought in 4.3 billion euros ($5.3 billion) for the German state.
The auction, which began April 12 in Mainz, ended Thursday after 224 rounds of bidding. It marked the first time that 4G frequencies have ever been sold off. The most coveted frequencies went to telecom giants Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and O2. Competitor E-Plus went home empty-handed.
Fourth-generation technology, also known as 4G, would enable more reliable and faster connections over the Internet and through mobile phones. Experts expect that 4G could revolutionize the market for mobile phones because it would allow them to take in and transmit more data than current technology allows.
Frequencies at the 4G level are especially sought after for supplying rural or remote areas with wireless signals and Internet.
Despite the hype surrounding the 4G auction, it did not raise as much money as the one for 3G frequencies held in 2000. That sell-off generated 50 billion euros.
svs/AFP/apn
Editor: Martin Kuebler