MasMovil completed the acquisition of B2B service provider Neutra Network for a reported €15.5 million, a move which gives the operator its first 5G-ready spectrum assets.

Sources quoted by El Economista said the spectrum acquired as part of the deal is “cheap” compared to the expected price of buying similar assets through the country’s spectrum auction.

The acquisition gives MasMovil ownership of 40MHz in the 3.5GHz band and unspecified assets in the 2.6GHz band in the regions of Madrid, Catalonia, Castilla-La Mancha and Andalucia. This is in addition to Neutra’s profitable business in the enterprise market.

5G auction
Preparations for Spain’s auction of 5G-suitable spectrum is already underway with operators working to a deadline of 29 June to register their intentions to participate. Bidding rounds are expected to begin in the middle of July, the Ministry of Energy, Tourism and Digital Agenda announced.

Operators will compete for a total of 200MHz in the 3.6GHz to 3.8GHz bands split into 40 blocks. The starting price for each block is €2.5 million, which will bring the state a total windfall of at least €100 million assuming all assets sell.

Each operator is also subject to a spectrum cap in the 3.4GHz to 3.6GHz bands.