NMHH frequency tender for broadband services published

Published: 22 May 2014

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The Office of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH) has published the tender documentation for the utilisation of frequency bands 800 MHz and 2600 MHz currently unused and for the available parts of the 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 26 GHz frequency bands. The deadline for the submission of the bids is 16 June 2014.

This new tender is intended to encourage competition among businesses and to accelerate the deployment of broadband networks. By opening up currently unused frequencies suitable for broadband communications for sale, NMHH will increase broadband network coverage and the available download and upload speeds in Hungary, thereby offering an opportunity for everyone to become an active member of the information society.

In the long run, it is of crucial importance to the Hungarian economy that broadband mobile services become available virtually anywhere and to anyone in Hungary. This goes far beyond the interests of subscribers and service providers, as the activity level of frequency use is one of the many economic indicators of a country. The larger the geographical coverage and the faster the data traffic, the more secure a country’s digital network.

Winning bidders will be licensed to use the frequencies until 2034. The one-off minimum sales fee is HUF 104 billion. The spectrum licences now available for sale offer substantial room for manoeuvre for business planning, and the long licence period encourages investment activities and reduces investors’ risks. The frequency bands 800 MHz and 2600 MHz are now made available for mobile services as new bands. Due to its favourable wave propagation characteristics, the 800 MHz band is specifically suitable for providing coverage in scarcely populated areas.

Having consulted with telecommunications service providers as its strategic partners and in consideration of their constructive comments, NMHH published the tender documentation for the utilisation of the frequency bands 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2600 MHz and 26 GHz on 22 May 2014. Bids can be submitted by 16 June 2014 in the NMHH building at Ostrom u. 23–25 Budapest 1015. The full tender documentation is now available for download under "Related documents" (in Hungarian)).

The language of the procedure is Hungarian but NMHH will shortly publish the tender documentation in English to ensure the widespread availability of the tender information.