Six companies were awarded 4G spectrum in Israel as the country looks to expand LTE coverage beyond its major cities, Reuters reported.

The Communications Ministry said spectrum in the 1.8 GHz band has been secured by Cellcom, Partner Communications, Pelephone, HOT Mobile, Golan Telecom and Marathon 018, raising ILS250.5 million ($63 million).

Cellcom, Partner and Pelephone, the three largest mobile operators in Israel, have been offering 4G services in the country’s major cities for some time.

However, Cellcom and Partner have been using repurposed 3G spectrum while Pelephone has been using frequencies loaned by the Communications Ministry.

The latest auction is the first for bandwidth dedicated to LTE, and should enable 4G services to expand across the country.

Cellcom paid ILS19.5 million to secure 3 MHz of spectrum, to add to the 12 MHz of bandwidth it has already converted from 3G. Partner paid ILS33.5 million to secure 5 MHz of spectrum to go with the 10 MHz it already holds. Pelephone paid ILS96 million for 15 MHz.

The other three companies are entering the 4G market for the first time, each with a 5 MHz block.

In order to reduce setup costs, Cellcom and Golan have agreed to share a network, while Partner is working with HOT. Local reports suggested that Marathon 018, an internet and long-distance provider, is also looking for a similar arrangement with an existing mobile player.

Israel is later than many countries in releasing dedicated 4G spectrum, but its 3G networks among the fastest in the world, the report said.