According to Reuters the auctions for blocks of the 700MHz band will be held in the third quarter of 2013. Expected revenue from the sales was not disclosed.
Winners of the auction are expected to be given access to the spectrum in early 2014, following the last part of the digital TV switchover in December 2013, meaning 4G services are likely to be available much sooner than in Australia.
The frequencies, which are reportedly 10 times faster than the existing services, are anticipated to be used for superfast mobile broadband services to allow users to benefit from higher content consummation and video calls.
New Zealand’s information technology minister, Amy Adams, said: “Indications are that by using the spectrum for 4G mobile networks, we can expect economic benefits for New Zealand of up to NZ$2.4 billion over the next 20 years.”
Telecom New Zealand, 2degrees and Vodafone New Zealand are all expected to participate in the auction.
