We announce details of Auction 17 following expressions of interest. One AM and four FM sound broadcasting spectrum licences will be auctioned.

Auction 17 will be managed by Skylarc with the licences sold on the Trade Me website. The auction starts on 3 April 2019 and will run for seven days until 10 April 2019.

The term of the licences are valid until 2 April 2031 provided the successful party meets the implementation criteria.

• List of licences for auction

The 3.5 GHz band will be the first 5G band in New Zealand, with national rights to spectrum expected to be auctioned early in 2020.  National spectrum rights in the 3.5 GHz band will be available from November 2022 when the existing rights in this band expire.

Spectrum will also be available to regional wireless broadband service providers. Allocation details of regional spectrum rights are expected to be announced later this year.

Minister Faafoi has also announced his decision that once the 3.5 GHz allocation is complete, the next priority will be to allocate parts of the millimetre wave bands above  25 GHz for 5G.

• Read the press release: 5G on track for 2020: 3.5 GHz spectrum the first available
• Read the proactively released cabinet paper: Allocation of Radio Spectrum for 5G Mobile [903KB PDF]

Further information about preparing for 5G in New Zealand can be found on our website.

As part of CERT NZ’s Cyber Smart campaign during the month of March, we are encouraging users of the Register of Radio Frequencies to review their current password. Passwords should be long, strong and unique to help you and your business stay safe online.

View more details about password security at the CERT NZ Cybersmart website.