Dutch ministry postpones Mobile Communications Policy until Tele2 takeover

The plans of T-Mobile Netherlands and Tele2 Netherlands are delaying preparations for the mobile auction of 2019 by at least half a year, State Secretary Mona Keijzer at the Ministry of Economic Affairs said. Deutsche Telekom and Tele2 NL want to consolidate their Dutch networks into a joint venture, in which T-Mobile NL will receive 75 percent. The ministry expects assessment of the deal to take at least six months. The department cannot complete the Mobile Communications Policy until it is clear what happens to the number of mobile providers. That memorandum was due to get published in 2017, but will now likely come out no sooner than mid-2018. The ministry said it will give more clarity about scheduling in the second half of 2019. The auction is important because the 2100 MHz licenses will be valid until the end of 2020.