Orange buys two 800 MHz LTE licenses for PLN 3.05 bln

Orange Polska has acquired two 800 MHz blocks for PLN 3.05 billion, while P4, T-Mobile and NetNet have bought one block each on the LTE frequency auction, UKE, the regulator said. In addition, Orange acquired three 2,600 MHz licenses for PLN 117 million in total.

Polkomtel, a unit of Polsat Cyfrowy, secured four 2,600 MHz blocks for PLN 156 million. Netnet, a company controlled by the son of Heronim Ruta, a shareholder of Cyfrowy Polsat purchased one 800 MHz block for PLN 2.053 billion.

On Friday, UKE said that the LTE auction raised PLN 9.23 billion in bids, nearly six times more than expected. Five 800 Mhz blocks and 14 blocks of 2.6 GHz were put up for sale, each bidder could buy up to two 800 MHz blocks and four 2.6 GHz. The auction has  stirred up controversy after Internal Minister Andrzej Halicki decided to set a deadline for the auction to close, after it dragged on for months. P4 and Polsat Cyfrowy opposed the decision saying they are considering taking legal action against Poland.