OSLO (WiMAX Day). The Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority (NPT) has re-scheduled the date for its auction of the frequency bands 2500 ~ 2690 Mhz until autumn of 2007, and has released a consultation on the frequency plan. The auction was originally scheduled to begin April 23, 2007, but was cancelled due to the re-location of the NPT offices in May.

The spectrum to be auctioned will be done in accordance with the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) band plan ECC/DEC/(05)05, which calls for 2×70 Mhz for paired use (FDD) and 50 Mhz for unpaired use (TDD), with some modifications that address market demand and flexibility.

The first five blocks on offer will be the band 2570 ~ 2620 Mhz, and assigned as unpaired spectrum divided into six regions. Each block will have bandwidth of 10 Mhz. The second and third blocks include the bands 2540 ~ 2570 Mhz and 2660 ~ 2690 Mhz, which will be offered on a national level with 10 Mhz for each block. The final block using the bands 2500 ~ 2540 Mhz and 2620 ~ 2660 Mhz will be assigned as paired spectrum on a national level, and each block will be offered with bandwidth of 2×5 Mhz. The auction also will include a block of 2010 ~ 2025 Mhz frequencies assigned on a regional basis.

Spectrum Cap
The NPT will implement a “spectrum cap” during the auction that is intended to limit the amount of spectrum any one bidder can purchase, and ensures that the entire range of spectrum cannot be purchased by one bidder.

A high degree of competition for the spectrum is expected, and the NPT believe a single bidder would not be good for competition in the market. Thus the first frequency block would have a cap of 30 Mhz, preventing a bidder from acquiring more that three blocks in a single region. The second, third and fourth blocks will have a cap of 80 Mhz which allows bidders to combine bidding on paired and unpaired spectrum to the maximum of 80 Mhz. The 2010 ~ 2025 Mhz will not have any restriction to bidding, even if a bidder has bid the maximum in the other frequencies.

IMT – 2000
The auction of 2.6 GHz frequencies is expected to attract numerous bidders seeking the spectrum for mobile WiMAX as, according to the NPT, the spectrum will be auctioned “in line with the principle of technology neutrality, the licensee may select which technology to use in the frequency band.”

The announcement of the Norwegian auction of 2.6 GHz follows an announcement made by the UK regulator Ofcom in December 2006 to auction the same spectrum band this year. It is expected that other European countries will soon follow suit as the CEPT decision (ECC/DEC(02)06) concluded that 2500 ~ 2690 Mhz frequency bands should be made available for use with IMT-2000 by January 1, 2008, subject to market demand and national licensing schemes.

While WiMAX is not yet included under IMT-2000, it is also not excluded from use with 2500 ~ 2690 Mhz spectrum, as regulatory authorities are free to liberate the spectrum according to market demands, and on the basis of technology neutrality.