Germany's Mobile frequency auction set for 12 April

Germany's largest spectrum auction since the allocation of UMTS concessions in 2000 will take place on 12 April 2010, local daily Die Welt reports, citing industry sources.

The auction involves licenses for spectrum freed up in the switchover from analog to digital television. A spectrum package of 360MHz is set for sale, including spectrum in the 1.7GHz, 1.8GHz, 2GHz and 2.6GHz ranges, as well as 60MHz in the digital dividend range of 800MHz. The government hopes the auction will help close the digital divide in Germany by speeding up the rollout of broadband Internet and increasing coverage in rural areas.