The Australian government laid out plans to hold a second 5G auction in early 2021, with allocations of 2.4GHz in the 26GHz band.

Paul Fletcher, minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, issued a spectrum reallocation declaration for the 26GHz band, after the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) summited a spectrum plan based on responses from an industry consultation.

ACMA will reallocate spectrum across 29 cities and regional centres to accommodate new wireless broadband services, including 5G, under spectrum licensing arrangements.

Fletcher asked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for advice on setting limits for the auction process.

In its first auction of spectrum for the next-generation technology, held in December 2018, the nation’s operators shelled out a total of AUD853 million ($583 million) for spectrum in the 3.6GHz band.