By Veronika Gulyas
BUDAPEST--Hungary's telecommunication regulator NMHH said Monday
it will receive 130.6 billion forints ($530 million) from four
players who have won the tender for various unused broadband
spectrum licenses.
The latest tender helped introduce a new player, Digi, in
Hungary's so far three-player mobile market, Monika Karas,
president of the authority said at a news briefing.
Magyar Telekom Nyrt. (MTELEKOM.BU) majority-owned by Germany's
Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE.XE) will pay HUF58.65 billion for its
share of packages; a subsidiary of Norway's Telenor ASA (TEL.OS)
HUF31.7 billion; a unit of Vodafone Group PLC (VOD) HUF30.2 billion
and cable and new market particpant satellite television and
internet provider, Digi, HUF10 billion.
The latest licenses would be available until 2034.
Hungary offered the unused parts of the 800, 900, 1,000 and
2,600 Megahertz frequencies as well as the unused part of the 26
MHz frequency in nine packages.
The amount generated at the tender is largely in line with the
HUF120 billion to HUF150 billion that was estimated from the sale
in the 2014 budget.
The sale of the licenses may help increase competition,
accelerate the development of broadband coverage, the spread of
modern wireless services, and lead to competitive consumer prices,
the NMHH said.
Write to Veronika Gulyas at veronika.gulyas@wsj.com; Twitter:
@VeronikaGulyas1