Five Italian operators have officially submitted requests to participate in Italy’s upcoming 4G (LTE) spectrum auctions, reports Reuters. According to Italy’s Industry Ministry, Italy’s four main mobile operators, Telecom Italia (TIM), Vodafone, Wind and 3 – plus broadband provider Linkem – have declared their interest. The Italian government is looking for the auction to raise at least EUR2.4 billion, with a forecast of EUR3.1 billion if all the frequencies up for grabs are sold, according to Industry Minister Paolo Romani. The government will announce the full list of participants on 28 July, and the bidders will then have a month to present their offers. The auction is expected to be completed by 30 September this year.

Reuters notes that there is speculation that other contenders outside of the telecoms sector could yet join the auction process, including Poste Italiane, which already operates its own mobile service. However, not all players are happy that the government is preceeding with the auction in the current climate. According to Reuters, Egyptian telecoms tycoon Naguid Sawiris, (who sold Wind Italy to Russia’s VimpelCom earlier this year), has urged the Italian government to delay the auction because of the financial crisis and weak economic landscape – or at least allow operators to make payments in instalments.