TDC and the joint venture of Telenor and Telia picked up 800MHz frequency allocations in Denmark, following a frequency auction which closed yesterday.

TDC picked up four blocks of 2x5MHz for DKK628 million (US$105.5 million), while the TT Netvaerket joint venture bought 2x10MHz for DKK111.5 million.

TDC said it a statement that it will provide coverage in line with the terms of its licence, meaning it will “safeguard stronger coverage in areas of Denmark currently experiencing patchy coverage.” It said that more than 99 percent of the population will have access to 4G services, delivering speeds of up to 150Mbit/s.

In a statement, Henrik Poulsen, president and CEO of TDC, said that it has “obtained what are clearly the most attractive frequency blocks at a reasonable price.”

It noted that the “B” blocks it won do not have restrictions on their use, while the “A” block licences held by TT Netvaerket include conditions that “masts may not be erected in certain areas where TV reception can be disturbed.”

Jon Erik Haug, CEO of Telenor Denmark, said that “the 800MHz licence is a key element of fulfilling our ambition to create Denmark's best network in terms of both voice and data.”

Telenor and Telia have concluded an agreement to merge their 2G, 3G and 4G networks, and the companies are set to deploy a joint 4G network with 75 percent population coverage. In a statement, it was noted that the 800MHz allocation gained yesterday “will make it possible to provide 4G services to an even greater share of the population.”

According to Wireless Intelligence figures, Telia already has 18,000 4G subscribers in Denmark using its existing frequency allocation – it holds 2.6GHz blocks used for LTE. TDC has around 9,800 existing 4G customers.