Canberra announces plans for 26 GHz band 5G auction

The federal government has announced that it will auction 2.4 GHz of spectrum in the 26 GHz band to support rollout of 5G across Australia.

The auction will take place early in 2021 and follows the sale of Australia’s first 5G spectrum in the 3.6 GHz band in December 2018.

To kick-start the process, the Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, Paul Fletcher, has issued a spectrum reallocation declaration for the 26 GHz band, following advice from the ACMA (which had undertaken industry consultation).

The Radiocommunications (Spectrum Re-allocation—26 GHz Band) Declaration 2019 enables the ACMA to reallocate spectrum across 29 cities and regional centres to accommodate new wireless broadband services, including 5G, under spectrum licensing arrangements.

The reallocation is part of the ACMA’s plan to make spectrum available for 5G in Australia through a flexible mix of class, apparatus and spectrum licensing.

The Minister has written to the ACCC seeking advice on allocation limits for the auction process.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Николай Батаев