On Monday, in a significant development, the Dutch government began auctioning airwaves for 5G networks with a floor of $1 billion (900 million euro). Telecommunication companies including Vodafone, KPN, and T-Mobile are participating.

The auction is for the 700, 1400 and 2100Mhz frequency ranges.

The companies will submit bids in a series of daily rounds determined by the auctioneer.

The auction will complete by August 1 at the latest. An earlier outcome is more likely.

Bidders are not allowed to have more than 40% of the available bandwidth in each range.

In the Netherlands, the auction of the 3.5Ghz range, which is commonly associated with 5G, has been delayed since the Dutch government had to move a ground satellite system to a new location since it would have interfered with it.

The auction of that spectrum is expected in early 2022.