Will Albania soon join the club of 5G-ready countries? Telecoms regulator AKEP has officially opened the competition for the first frequencies to be used for 5G. This will involve five blocks in the 3400-3800MHz frequency band – two of 80MHz and three of 40MHz.
For the 80MHz blocks, the minimum bid from participants in the auction must be EUR3.634 million (about US$4 million). For the 40MHz blocks, the minimum bid is EUR1.812 (about US$2million).
A single bidder will not be able to win more than three usage rights or 160MHz of spectrum in total.
According to the local news service, CAN, AKEP could earn somewhere in the region of EUR12.7 million (US$14.05 million) from the auction.
The same source says that bids will win on price only, with payment in two instalments: 50% after the win and the remaining sum six months after authorisation is granted.
This minimum price required is apparently higher than neighbouring countries like Kosovo and North Macedonia, though the population of Albania, at about 2.4 million, is higher too.
The deadline for submitting offers is 17 October of this year. The conditions of the tender require coverage of 55% of the population with 5G services by 2027 and 85% of the population by 2030. A number of ports, airports and industrial zones and hospitals are to be covered by the end of 2025. All cities must be covered by 2028.
As CAN notes, there is nothing stopping new entrants from bidding. However, the modest size of the Albanian market and the large investments needed to set up networks make the arrival of new players unlikely.
