Austria Targets Autumn 2028 Auction for 800 MHz Spectrum

Austria plans to re-award its 800 MHz spectrum in autumn 2028, roughly a year before those licences expire at the end of 2029, and the regulator is asking whether 900 MHz and 1800 MHz should be thrown into the same auction. The consultation, launched by the Regulatory Authority for Broadcasting and Telecommunications (RTR), closes on 24 November 2026. Austria's three mobile network operators now have a date to argue about.

The consultation feeds a new spectrum release plan covering the next 5-7 years, which RTR is drafting jointly with the Federal Ministry of Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport (BMWKMS). The plan aims to give operators planning certainty, but it carries two caveats worth noting: it won't be legally binding, and it won't prejudge decisions by the Telekom-Control-Kommission (TKK), the body that actually awards spectrum.

"In carrying out this consultation, the BMWKMS and RTR wish to collect helpful suggestions and discuss possible approaches," the regulator said. "This consultation focuses on the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 3800-4200 MHz, upper 6 GHz, 26 GHz and 42 GHz frequency bands."

An RTR spokesperson added: "The bands are awarded on a technology-neutral basis (5G, 6G) and include spectrum for local use and vertical applications (3800-4200 MHz) with low and medium power use."

Why bundle three bands into one auction?

RTR's timing logic is straightforward. Awards held 1-2 years before licence expiry have worked well in the past, and it expects the 800 MHz band to go under the hammer. The 900 MHz and 1800 MHz licences, by contrast, run until the end of 2034 and would normally be awarded around 2033.

Combining all three could produce a more efficient outcome, the regulator argues, because bidders would focus on core bands and pick up wider, contiguous blocks. Administrative costs would also drop.

The downsides get honest treatment in the consultation document. A bundled award would impose "high capital requirements" on operators at auction time and would lock their sub-1 GHz and mid-band holdings in place for years. Sequential awards, RTR concedes, would let it respond better to technological developments.

The stakes are sizeable. More than two-thirds of the sub-1 GHz spectrum best suited to wide-area coverage could be re-awarded, along with 1800 MHz — the country's largest FDD band. A1 currently holds the most spectrum in all of these bands, so it has the most to defend and the most to buy back.

What about the Digital Networks Act and upper 6 GHz?

RTR has drawn a deliberate line under Brussels. The consultation "is separate from ongoing discussions at the EU level regarding a new telecommunications legal framework (the Digital Networks Act) and the proposals put forward by the European Commission in that context," the document states.

The spokesperson clarified that the release plan "relates to possible future awards based on the current legal framework in Austria. The consultation is not linked to the DNA discussions. The legal framework might change in the future."

Upper 6 GHz features in the plan as a forward signal rather than a commitment. The plan "is intended to provide planning certainty for all stakeholders regarding potential future spectrum awards (e.g. the upper 6 GHz band)," the spokesperson said, adding that "at this time, only a consultation is taking place. The spectrum release plan will be published following the consultation."

One firm date already exists in the negative: RTR does not plan any spectrum auctions in 2027.

Who holds what in Austria?

Three MNOs run nationwide networks. A1 leads with 36.2 per cent of the market, measured by active SIM cards excluding M2M in RTR's Q1 2026 data. Magenta follows with 24.8 per cent, and Hutchison Drei Austria (H3A) holds 20 per cent. MVNOs collectively take around 19 per cent and have been gaining share in recent years.

Spectrum holdings mirror that pecking order. A1 and Magenta each control roughly a third of the frequencies used for mobile services, while H3A holds 28 per cent.

Operators now have until late November 2026 to argue whether one mega-auction beats three smaller ones — and RTR will publish its release plan once the arguments land.