The Croatian regulator HAKOM has announced a public auction for the issue of 5G licences.
According to HAKOM, bidding for individual frequency bands will be conducted in four separate procedures (700 MHz, 3600 MHz, 26 GHz and 3600 MHz regionally).
Simultaneous Multi-Round Auction (SMRA) has been selected as the bidding format, while the specific location of frequency blocks per bidder will be determined in an additional bidding round via sealed bids. Permits will be issued for a period of 15 years (except in the case of Medimurje and Varazdin counties, where there are already issued permits for various 5G technologies valid until 2023 and for these areas new permits are exceptionally issued for 13 years). At the end of the period of validity of the licence, the validity may be extended for a maximum of five years, as set out in EU rules.
HAKOM adds that the public auction will be conducted entirely through an electronic bidding system. Participants will undergo appropriate training to use the selected software solution. All interested parties may apply to participate, including the provision of an appropriate guarantee for the seriousness and validity of the participation, which depends on the frequency band and geographical area for which the applicant applies. Applications for participation will be submitted from May 27 to June 11, 2021. The main stages of the bidding will begin on July 12, 2021.
It is expected that the award decision will be made by the end of August, which will depend on the course of the bidding.
