The Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) said that the 5th spectrum auction for International Mobile Telecommunication (IMT) networks in the frequency bands of 600, 700 and 3,800 MHz will be held on October 16, 2023.
CST published the Information Memorandum and rules for this auction, which enable licensed service providers to participate. Through this auction, CST aims to improve 5G coverage in remote areas, the quality of service on roads, border entries and railways, raise internet speeds for customers, and promote investment and competition in providing wireless services.
According to CST, the auction, which will further solidify the Kingdom’s leadership role in the ICT sector, is a part of its efforts to implement the “Spectrum Outlook for Commercial and Innovative Use 2021-2023”, which was published in 2020, and is aligned with its strategic roles in enabling 5G networks in the Kingdom; Saudi Arabia will become the first country in the Middle East, Europe and Africa to assign the 600 MHz band for IMT, and the highest country globally in terms of assigned IMT spectrum in the bands below 5 GHz.
The Information Memorandum includes the auction design elements and rules such as allocating channel blocks for different domains, technical and regulatory conditions, eligibility criteria as well as the opening prices and obligations for the channel blocks.
CST encourages eligible service providers to participate in the auction, noting that the Information Memorandum for the auction is available at the following link:
https://www.cst.gov.sa/en/services/spectrum/Documents/IMofSpectrumAuctionof600-700-3800MHz.pdf
Source: Saudi Press Agency