They throw hundreds of millions of zlotys on the table. Play, Plus, Orange and T-Mobile are fighting for 5G

The 5G frequency auction in Poland has such a long and twisted history that even fans of Brazilian soap operas would have difficulty keeping up with it. Let us recall that the Office of Electronic Communications launched the auction in March 2020, but then the plans were thwarted by the coronavirus pandemic, which led to its cancellation.

Later, there were a number of twists and turns that a book could be written about (and it will probably be written in the end). Fortunately, we are now approaching the end of this story. On June 22 this year, the President of UKE, Jacek Oko, announced the start of the 5G auction (for frequencies in the 3.6 GHz band), which is intended to “eliminate white spots of the Internet” on the map of Poland.

It covers 15-year reservations for four 100 MHz blocks in the 3400-3800 MHz frequency range. Those interested could submit their initial offers until August 8. Four Polish telecommunications operators took advantage of this opportunity:

• P4 (Play network)
• Polkomtel (Plus network)
• Orange Polska
• T-Mobile Poland

The starting price for each block was PLN 450 million, and the auction winners are to receive them this year – probably in December.

The final of the 5G auction has started. Hundreds of millions of zlotys on the table

The auctions, awaited by telecoms, started steadily on August 16, which was announced by, among others, on his profile on the X website. Wojciech Jabczyński, spokesman for Orange Polska.

All eyes are on big politics, and today the long-awaited auction for target frequencies for #5G has started. We count on it to run quickly and efficiently.

– wrote Jabczyński.

Interestingly, any interested person can follow the course of the auction on an ongoing basis and check what the currently highest declared amount is. .

Due to the end of the last round of the auction for 4 frequency reservations in the 3.6 GHz band, conducted on auction day no. 1, pursuant to § 31 section 2 of the Regulation of the Minister of Digital Affairs on the tender, auction and competition for the reservation of frequencies or orbital resources of July 11, 2019 (Journal of Laws of 2019, item 1467), I inform about the highest declared amounts (NZK) for individual frequency reservations

– we read on the UKE website.

At the moment, the highest amounts declared are:

• Block “A” (3400-3500 MHz) – no offers
• Block “B” (3500-3600 MHz) – PLN 468,180,000.00
• Block “C” (3600-3700 MHz) – PLN 468,180,000.00
• Block “D” (3700-3800 MHz) – PLN 477,544,000.00.

5G means faster mobile internet

5G is the fifth generation of the mobile network. Thanks to it, data transfer and, consequently, the speed of mobile Internet will be significantly increased. Compared to the 4G network, it is less reliable. Although no studies have shown it to be harmful to human health, its introduction is associated with considerable criticism and concerns from some people and groups (more on this topic in the video below).

The first commercial 5G network was made available in early 2019 in South Korea. A year later, it also appeared in Poland, but it has still not yet achieved its full potential – primarily due to the failure to provide dedicated 5G frequencies and the prolonged UKE auction.