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The spectrum usage rights expiring at the end of 2025 will be extended by five years. This serves the aim of bringing the expiry dates of these usage rights in line with other usage rights that are due to expire at a later date. This will enable more spectrum to be made available for award at a later stage, in turn avoiding regulation-induced scarcity. It will also enable market developments to be taken into account in later proceedings. A larger framework for proceedings will offer the companies more opportunities for accessing spectrum.

The extension of the usage rights will be accompanied by obligations for the further rollout of the mobile networks and arrangements aimed at promoting competition.

Decision on not ordering award proceedings and on extending spectrum rights (pdf / 4 MB)

In case of divergent interpretation, the German text shall prevail.

Documents relating to the public hearing (9th January 2025)

Guidelines under consideration for a negotiation requirement benefiting service providers and MVNOs (pdf / 83 KB)

Determinations under consideration for a President’s Chamber decision (pdf / 150 KB)

May 2024 - Consultation draft (German)

Consultation draft (pdf / 4 MB)

September 2023 - Demand update

Demand survey update and framework for an interim decision (pdf / 3 MB)

Stellungnahmen zu den Rahmenbedingungen 2023 (zip / 150 MB) (German only)

September 2022 - Position paper

Position paper 2022 (pdf / 2 MB)

Overview of positions 2022 (English) (pdf / 85 KB)

Additional explanations on position paper 2022 (English) (pdf / 183 KB)

Stellungnahmen zu dem Positionspapier 2022 (ZIP / 55 MB) (German only)

January 2022 - Points of orientation and demand survey

Points of orientation and demand survey 2022 (pdf / 1 MB)

Stellungnahmen zu den Orientierungspunkten 2022 (ZIP / 49 MB) (German only)

June 2021 - Principles and scenarios

Case Szenarios 2021 (pdf / 348 KB)

Stellungnahmen zum Szenarienpapier 2021 (Stand 08.10.2021) (ZIP / 29 MB) (German only)

August 2020 - Spectrum compass 2020

Spectrum Compass 2020 (pdf / 566 KB)

Stellungnahmen zum Frequenzkompass 2020 (ZIP / 11 MB)(German only)

Federal Administrative Court decisions of 16 October 2025

The Federal Administrative Court has dismissed the Bundesnetzagentur’s complaints against the refusal to grant leave to appeal on points of law against Cologne Administrative Court’s decisions of 26 August 2024 on the 5G spectrum award decision.

Spectrum award

The Award of spectrum in the 2 GHz and 3.6 GHz bands (5G bands) ended on June 12, 2019 after 497 auction rounds with a total revenue of 6.55 billion Euro.

Four companies participated in the auction: Drillisch Netz AG, Telefónica Germany GmbH & Co. OHG, Telekom Deutschland GmbH and Vodafone GmbH. All participants successfully bid on spectrum.

The frequency blocks were mostly auctioned in an abstract manner with regard to their location in the spectrum. Only the top and bottom blocks in the 3.6 GHz band were auctioned off specifically.
Following the conclusion of the auction and the presentation of the award notices, the abstract blocks acquired have now been allotted specifically in accordance with the procedure detailed in the President's Chamber decision of 26 November 2018 (BK1-17/001, subsection IV.4.2).

Spectrum diagram after the auction

Spectrum diagram in the areas 700 MHz to 3,8 GHz (png / 352 KB)

The auction was held as an open, ascending, simultaneous multiround auction.

Relevant decisions

5G award - decisions I & II of 24 October 2018 (pdf / 526 KB)
5G award - decisions III & IV of 26 November 2018 (pdf / 4 MB)

Draft Consultation - Award of 2 GHz & 3.6 GHz Bands (pdf / 300 KB)
Information - 5G Award (pdf / 50 KB)
Responses are available only in German: Stellungnahmen zum Konsultationsentwurf (zip / 34 MB)

Key Elements and Identification of Demand (pdf / 278 KB)
Responses are available only in German: Stellungnahmen zu den Eckpunkten (zip / 40 MB)

Points Of Orientation (pdf / 1 MB)
Responses are available only in German: Stellungnahmen zu den Orientierungspunkten - Auktion 2019 (ZIP / 37 MB)

Frequenz Kompass (pdf / 305 KB)
Responses are available only in German: Stellungnahmen zum Frequenz-Kompass - Auktion 2019 (ZIP / 14 MB)

The Award of spectrum in the 700 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 1.5 GHz bands for mobile/fixed communications networks ended on June 19, 2015 after 181 auction rounds with a total revenue of 5.1 billion Euro.

All three companies (Telefónica Deutschland GmbH & Co. OHG, Telekom Deutschland GmbH and Vodafone GmbH) were successful in bidding for spectrum in line with their business models.

In total 270 MHz of spectrum from the 700 MHz, 900 MHz, 1500 MHz and 1800 MHz bands have been awarded. The spectrum at 900 MHz and 1800 MHz provided the basis for establishing the mobile communications network as it is today, especially nationwide mobile voice communication, and the intention is that it should also be used in the future for broadband internet access.

Frequencies in the 700 MHz band have so far been used for terrestrial television. The switch from DVB-T to DVB-T2 means that they will be freed up and can be used for mobile broadband. Network operators will be able to roll out high speed internet using relatively few base stations to those areas that are currently under-served. The Bundesnetzagentur's goal is to use these frequencies to achieve almost complete nationwide provision of the population with broadband internet access – as is already the case with mobile voice telephony. For this reason the frequency usage rights include a coverage obligation of 98% of the population.

Decision (pdf / 2 MB)

Outcome of the auction

The award of spectrum in the bands 800 MHz, 1.8 GHz, 2.0 GHz and 2.6 GHz for wireless access for the provision of telecommunications services, which began on 12 April 2010 in Mainz, ended on 20 May after 224 rounds of bidding. All four qualified companies (namely Vodafone D2 GmbH, Telefónica O2 Germany GmbH & Co. OHG, Telekom Deutschland GmbH and Erste MVV Mobilfunk Vermögensverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH (E-Plus)) have acquired some spectrum.

The four companies have therefore been able to double the amount of their existing spectrum.

Presentation - Outcome of the auction (pdf / 245 KB)

President's Chamber Decision of 12 October 2009

Decision of the President's Chamber - TRANSLATION (pdf / 517 KB)

Merger of E-Plus and Telefónica

In connection with the European Commission’s approval under competition law of the merger between the mobile operators Telefónica Deutschland and E–Plus the Bundesnetzagentur has published a decision on the frequency regulation aspects of the merger, in accordance with section 55(7) and (8) of the Telecommunications Act (TKG).

The decision specifies the following measures:

• return of 900/1800 MHz spectrum by Telefónica / E-Plus before the expiry date of 31 December 2015 and close in time to reallocation of the so-called GSM spectrum (Project 2016)

in conjunction with

• a subsequent examination of the post-merger spectrum distribution in light of all known facts (most notably the 900/1800 MHz reallocation).

Decision regarding the frequency regulation aspects of the merger between Telefónica and E-Plus (pdf / 813 KB)