Cyprus Publishes Tender Documents for Bands Auction

The Republic of Cyprus’s Department of Electronic Communications, part of Ministry of Communications and Works (MCW), has published the tender documents for the auction for a third mobile communication network license using the 900MHz/1800MHz/2100MHz frequency bands. The Ministry announced the launch of the auction in early June 2013, with a deadline of 24 July 2013 for interested parties to submit their applications and a security of EUR700,000 (USD915,500). Under the terms set out by the draft document, the spectrum available for use is listed as follows:

• 2×10MHz blocks in the 900MHz band;
• 2×24.8MHz blocks in the 1800MHz band; and
• 2×15MHz paired blocks (frequency division duplex, FDD) in the 2100MHz band.

The MCW has indicated that the 900MHz and 1800MHz frequencies are best suited for 2G GSM, 3G UMTS, 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) and WiMAX use. However, the regulator may allow the establishment and operation of communications networks not listed in the document, provided that such networks would not disrupt existing GSM transmissions.
The operators are required to establish and operate 3G and/or 4G networks covering 40% of the Republic’s territory within three years from the date of license authorizations, and must reach 65% territorial coverage within five years from the date of their license. By 2019, the network should have downlink transmission speeds of at least 30Mbps.