Belgian raises 1.42 billion euros from 5G mobile licence auction

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium has raised 1.42 billion euros ($1.44 billion) from its auction of new 5G mobile phone licences, with a fourth operator set to enter the consumer market, telecoms regulator BIPT said late on Wednesday.

BIPT concluded the second and final phase of the auction, of the 1,400 megahertz frequency band, yielding 216.5 million euros. That was far above the reserve price and added to 1.202 billion euros previously raised.

Existing operators Orange Belgium, Proximus and Telenet bid for this final band.

Citymesh Mobile, which has successfully bid for other bands, is set to partner with Romanian provider DIGI to increase competition. DIGI already operates in Romania, Italy and Spain, with a service also launching in Portugal.

Another company, Network Research Belgium, has secured a small-scale 5G licence in the auction and intends to use it for offering services to businesses and public entities, such as hospitals.

($1 = 0.9829 euros)

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Bradley Perrett)