Telia Company’s subsidiary in Finland, Sonera, invests in new frequencies in the 700 MHz band. The Ministry of Transport and Communications today announced the results of the 700 MHz license auction that started today, Thursday, November 24. Sonera secured 2x10 MHz frequencies in the 700 MHz band.

The new frequencies will enable further increases in 4G coverage and speed in the already extensive Finnish mobile broadband network. Our customers’ demand for connectivity and the popularity of on-demand video on mobile terminals drive mobile data growth, and the frequencies will provide more capacity in the network. In the future, the frequencies are expected to be used also with new generation 5G networks.

The licenses granted for the 700 MHz band are valid for 17 years starting from February 1, 2017, and the price for the new frequency blocks is EUR 22.4 million including the administrative fees for the auction. The payment to Ficora will be made in five tranches during the next five years.

The license includes a 4G population coverage requirement of 99 percent by February 2020. Sonera has already built a nationwide 4G (LTE) network using the 800, 1,800 and 2,600 MHz frequencies. The previous 4G population coverage requirements for Sonera are 95 percent by the end of 2016 and 99 percent by the end of 2018. The former requirement has already been fulfilled, and the current 4G coverage is over 97 percent of the Finnish population.