The Swedish Post and Telecom Agency (PTS) will begin a spectrum auction on Wednesday to award block licences for use of the country’s 1800MHz band.

The auction will assign two blocks of 35MHz of spectrum. Within the band there are also existing licensees who hold a total of two 35MHz blocks between them; Tele2, Telenor and TeliaSonera. Those operators are permitted to bid for the blocks being currently auctioned, and as the frequency is technology and service neutral, operators can use it for 3G or for 4G LTE services, according to a PTS spokesperson,

The auction will be held in two stages.  During the first stage, the auction’s 2×35MHz will be split between auction participants. Both new stakeholders and existing licence holders in the 1800MHz band can take part.

Placement in the band will be determined during the second stage. Winning bidders from the first stage can then participate, as can licence holders that already have a licence in the band, meaning that this placement round comprises 2×70MHz.

The PTS has guaranteed that all licence holders in the band will get consecutive spectrum. It has also proposed that 2x5MHz in the band shall be exempt from a licence obligation; this means that these frequencies can be used by anyone without the need for a licence from PTS, reducing barriers to entry.