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France to Postpone 5G Spectrum Auction Due to Virus Lockdown

France to Postpone 5G Spectrum Auction Due to Virus Lockdown

(Bloomberg) --

France is delaying its auction of fifth-generation mobile spectrum to an unspecified date because of the coronavirus.

Industry regulator Arcep “won’t be able to maintain the auction planned for mid-April” as planned, a spokeswoman said Tuesday by e-mail. It will organize the frequency sale for a later date once more information is available, she added.

France imposed a lockdown on its population from Tuesday for at least two weeks in an attempt to contain the virus.

The government has been aiming to raise at least 2.17 billion euros ($2.38 billion) from the spectrum sale and kick-start upgrades of national mobile infrastructure to allow faster download speeds and enable applications from connected factories to autonomous vehicles.

Thomas Reynaud, chief executive officer of French phone carrier Iliad SA, said earlier on Tuesday that the company has made allowance for a possible postponement of the auction, but that won’t change its plan to have commercial 5G ready by the end of the year.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.