The Italian specrtum auction has already ended, brining record cashes to the government, 3,950 billion Euros and seeing the triumph of Tim, Vodafone and Wind, who won two slots each of the 800 Mhz bands. H3g and Wind won, instead, four slots of the 2,600 Mhz each. Those bands cover smaller areas, like metropolis (3 slots of the same bands went also to Vodafone and Tim). The 1,800 Mhz frequencies did not interest Tim, so Vodafone and H3g won one block each. It has not been assigned yet the 2.000 MHz band and the companies had time until the 3 October to present their bids.

For what concerns the other European Countries.

The 15th September was the deadline for French companies to present their bids for the specrtum auction of the 2.6 GHz bands, instead the 15th December is the deadline for the 800 MHz bands. Around the end of the year, the first auction should take place, while the 800 MHz bands will be assigned around the beginning of 2012.

Belgian companies have time until the 28th November to present their bids. This is what declared BIPT, the Belgian telecommunications authority.

In the UK, instead, the auction, which was supposed to be held at the beginning of 2012, has been postponed at the end of 2012. Ofcom, the British telecommunications authority, declared that it was necessary to do so considering the answers of the participants. This way, Ofcom want s to give more time to the participants to organize. The companies that will take part to the auction , such as Everything Everywhere and BT, have already started some tests in Cornwall, using LTE technology, in anticipation to the real bands allocation.

None from the governments required what technology to be used by the winners, but from the affirmations of the winners and from those who will take part, is it clear that LTE will be the main technology to be used.

But is the LTE a real disruptive technology and business opportunity? This is what we at WiTech are wondering too.

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