Dutch government sets out plans for auctions of 5G bandwidth

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Netherlands unveiled plans on Thursday to auction bandwidth for 5G networks, saying some telecoms suppliers could be banned if they had close ties to foreign governments or intelligence agencies involved in spying.

Secretary of State Mona Keijzer said in a statement that the government's first auction of the 700, 1400, and 2100Mhz ranges would take place by June 30 with a floor of 900 million euros (£773.17 million).

An auction of the 3.5Mhz range most commonly associated with 5G is being delayed as the Dutch government moves a ground satellite system that would interfere with it to a new location. The auction of that spectrum is expected in early 2022.

(Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Edmund Blair)