Imagine LTE 3.6GHz Band

stephend2000

As I understand it, Imagine are operating under a test license for the 3.6GHz band right? How are they allowed to sell their service to customers. Surely the test band is for internal testing only. It seems that the license will expire in July of 2017 and I heard someone say that they will have to cease operation if they do not win the auction. Please correct me if I'm wrong, just an interesting topic.

9726_9726

stephend2000 wrote: »

As I understand it, Imagine are operating under a test license for the 3.6GHz band right? How are they allowed to sell their service to customers. Surely the test band is for internal testing only. It seems that the license will expire in July of 2017 and I heard someone say that they will have to cease operation if they do not win the auction. Please correct me if I'm wrong, just an interesting topic.

It's not a test licence but it will expire in July 2017. So they have 11 months left to operate their network as it stands - you are correct. They will be hoping to win the auction against all others so they can keep the network switched on legally beyond that date.

Is it morally correct to sell 18 month contracts on that basis? I'll leave that for you to decide.

Dero

I'd imagine that if they lose the license next July, any contracts would have to be cancelled anyway as Imagine would have no (legal) means of fulfilling them. I'd be hoping they'll be able to keep the service alive though. I'm viewing it as a reasonable stop-gap until FTTH comes to town, but still very much a stop-gap...

What happens if they *don't* get the license? I presume they'd try to appeal (even if ultimately futile) and keep operating in the meantime, or would that be beyond their means in terms of legal costs/resources?

9726_9726

I doubt there'd be any mechanism to appeal, or at least any point. But hey, it's in the future, so who knows who will win it? I know there have been lots of letters over and back to Comreg from Vodafone and Imagine bickering....

ED E

1. Get short term licence
2. Connect 2000+ subscribers
3. Lose auction
4. Write sob story in indo "Minister lets rural dwellers down due to unfair licence"
5. Get preferential treatment

If PaddyPower would give me odds on this Id be putting down €1000.

9726_9726

ED E wrote: »

5. Get preferential treatment

I wonder if that is possible? Surely the auction format in a major spectrum auction in an EU state must be transparent? I don't recall the format but surely the days of "give it to the boys (Esat)" are over?

ED E

DECNR staffers and COMREG I trust(the latter only to be greedy) to do it as planned, the Minister I'm not so sure. By the time the opposition challenges it and wins the NBP will be almost done and FiberConnect dead as a dodo.

The Cush

Coincidentally, Comreg today published the 3.6 GHz Band Spectrum Award documents on its website

16/70 3.6 GHz Band Spectrum Award - Response to Consultation on the draft Information Memorandum
16/70a 3.6 GHz Band Spectrum Award - DotEcon’s assessment of comments on ComReg Document 16/22
16/70b 3.6 GHz Band Spectrum Award - Benchmarking update - DotEcon

16/71 3.6 GHz Band Spectrum Award - Information Memorandum
16/71a 3.6 GHz Band Spectrum Award - Annex 3 of the Information Memorandum - Application Form
16/71b 3.6 GHz Band Spectrum Award - Annex 4 of the Information Memorandum - Alliance Notification Form

9726_9726

ED E wrote: »

DECNR staffers and COMREG I trust(the latter only to be greedy) to do it as planned, the Minister I'm not so sure. By the time the opposition challenges it and wins the NBP will be almost done and FiberConnect dead as a dodo.

Last resort is..... Random Selection!!!! And there it is....

2.10 Random Selection
Summary of ComReg’s view in Document 16/22
2.81 Section 4.2.4 set out the rules in relation to the winner and Base Price
determination and paragraph 4.148 outlined that if the rules outlined at
paragraphs 4.146 and 4.147 did not identify a unique feasible combination of
Bids, then the winning assignment would be selected at random from all
combinations of Bids that satisfy these rules.

Page 25 of 35
Views of respondents
2.82 3IHL submits that the use of random selection for winner determination is not
appropriate and, further, that ComReg should:
 develop an alternative method for determining the winning Bids and prices
in this case; and
 notify all affected Bidders if the situation arises where the winner and price
determination algorithm does not produce a unique set of winning Bids.
ComReg’s assessment & position
2.83 No information has been provided by 3IHL as to why the approach identified in
Document 16/22 is inappropriate. In addition, DotEcon notes that:
 random selection is a standard approach in the CCA and other spectrum
auction formats;
 it is a last resort option to be applied when all other reasonable and fair
approaches to choosing between outcomes have been exhausted;
 it does not believe there is a better method that is fairer to bidders; and
 it is not appropriate to change this for the present award.
2.84 In relation to 3IHL’s proposal to inform Bidders that are involved in a tie,
DotEcon does not recommend this approach because this could reveal
sensitive information about other Bidders’ valuations without offering any clear
benefits to the award process.
2.85 In considering the above matter, ComReg agrees with DotEcon’s assessment
and, in particular, that:
 a better method that is fairer to Bidders has not been identified; and
 random selection is a last resort that will only be used when all other
approaches to choosing between outcomes have been exhausted.
2.86 Therefore, ComReg is of the view that no specific change to the IM is required
in this regard.