Broadcasters and the mobile industry had different takeaways about the level of demand for spectrum in Australia after the government failed to sell all of the 700MHz spectrum in the Digital Dividend auction.
The government failed to sell one-third of the 700MHz spectrum—worth $1 billion—that was up for sale in the Digital Dividend auction. Total revenue for the auction made from 700MHz and 2.5GHz spectrum was $1.96 billion, below the government's expectations.
The Australian government seeks to deliver more spectrum to the mobile industry with the Digital Dividend auction opening today, according to Andrew Kerans, executive manager for spectrum planning at the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
A portion of the waterfront 700MHz spectrum in Tuesday’s Digital Dividend auction could go unsold despite aggressive bidding expected from Telstra, according to mobile industry analysts.
On 16 April, the Australian government will auction radio airwaves called spectrum to be used for 4G mobile services. Here’s Computerworld Australia's handy guide to this major wireless event.