No one, on the eve, would have ever imagined such a tough war to grab 5G frequencies. Instead, not only did the auction close to 6 billion euros, but it also seems far from an end given the battle to the sound of raises put in place by the main TLC operators. Which means only one thing: the figure will continue to rise.
At the end of the twelfth day of competitive bidding, the Mise informs us, the bids reach 5,958 billion euros, a real record for an auction which, based on forecasts on the eve, should have brought 2,5 billion euros in the state coffers.
At the basis of the escalation of offers – 145 rounds have been held to date – there is above all the tender on the 3700 Mhz band. Four lots in all, two of 80 Mhz and two of 40 Mhz on which the operators' offers are currently focusing. To date the amount is 3,754 billion euros and on Monday 1st October it will start again.
Who bid the most? Based on the updates provided by the Ministry of Economic Development, at the end of the twelfth day of raises, Wind Tre offered 1,474 billion euros, while Telecom Italia offered over 1,5 billion. Both offers concern the two 80 Mhz lots. Vodafone has therefore withdrawn from the larger blocks and instead challenges Iliad on the blocks of 20: the French operator is willing to pay out 381 million, Vodafone 374.
Minister Di Maio reassured the companies that the mega-revenues will remain for the benefit of the TLC sector: "Entrepreneurs must have a return on investment": But the unions are very worried: "This uncontrolled upward race risks put at risk the business continuity of some operators” state the secretariats of the CGIL, CISL and UIL trade unions.
At the same time, news also comes from Open Fiber. Elisabetta Ripa, speaking at the Huawei 5G Summit, declared that the company "is accelerating the development of its fiber optic coverage project in the country".
Ripa highlighted that the project of the company co-owned by Enel and Cdp is "the largest of its kind in Europe" and explained that the acceleration is impressed "also in the awareness that fiber is the prerequisite for the success of 5G, as well as a decisive factor for the competitiveness and productivity of the economic system”.
