Telia Company Acquires 5G Spectrum in Sweden

The Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS) has announced the results of the frequency auction that took place on January 19.

Telia has secured a 120 MHz frequency block in the 3.5 GHz band, a critical asset that will lay the groundwork for the continued expansion of 5G across Sweden and help strengthen the digital competitiveness in the coming years.

Telia launched Sweden’s first large-scale public 5G network on May 25, 2020, which has now been deployed to 20 cities, from Luleå in the north to Malmö in the south. The new spectrum in the 3.5 GHz frequency band will allow Telia to continue its ambitious rollout of 5G to more places and people across the country.

“With the acquisition of 120 MHz, which is more than any other operator in Sweden, Telia demonstrates its commitment to extend its network leadership position in Sweden with 5G. The new frequencies will allow us to build fast and energy efficient 5G networks with low latency that will help drive the development of sustainable digital societies by offering consumers, enterprises and public sector state-of-the-art mobile connectivity,” says Anders Olsson, CEO Telia Sweden.

High frequency bands like 3.5 GHz will be especially important in densely populated areas and to build dedicated 5G mobile networks to connect critical assets in for example manufacturing, at ports and in healthcare.

The licenses for the 3.5 HGz band will be valid for 25 years starting shortly, and the price for the new frequency block is EUR 75 million. The payment to PTS will be made within 30 days.