The Spanish government raised €437 million (about $510 million) after a multi-day auction of 5G spectrum that drew participation from four national operators.
The auction offered frequencies in the 3.6GHz to 3.8GHz band, a range widely considered suitable for rolling out 5G services. Organizers set a minimum reserve of €100 million, and competitive bidding pushed the final total to more than four times that baseline.
Bidding took place over thirty-four rounds spread across four days. The auction structure increased activity requirements as it progressed: the first four rounds required a 60 percent activity level, the next nineteen required 80 percent, and the final eleven rounds mandated full 100 percent activity.
All four major mobile operators in Spain—Movistar, Orange, Vodafone, and MásMóvil—competed in the process. Regulators capped the maximum spectrum allocation per operator at 120MHz to promote competition and avoid excessive concentration of resources.
The most expensive 5MHz block sold reached a bid of €12.01 million, reflecting high demand for contiguous spectrum suitable for dense urban 5G deployments and other advanced services.
Overall, the auction underscores continued strong commercial appetite for mid-band 5G spectrum in Europe, where such frequencies balance coverage and capacity and are central to national connectivity strategies.
What are your thoughts on the results of the 5G auction? Let us know in the comments.
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