by Fulvio Sarzana di S. Ippolito, Attorney, Sarzana & Partners Law Firm
Fulvio Sarzana has published a guide to the Italy 26 GHz auction on Agenda Digitale. The piece is written for telecom operators that are deciding whether to bid. On 26 August 2026 the Italian Ministry published the tender for the 24.25-26.5 GHz band in the Official Journal. Applications are due by 25 September 2026. Operators therefore have less than a month to decide whether to compete, with whom, and for which lots.
What the Italy 26 GHz auction puts on the table
The band is worth 2.25 GHz in total, split into seven 200 MHz blocks. The structure allows up to 5 national lots and up to 42 regional lots, spread across 19 regions and the two autonomous provinces. Usage rights start on 1 January 2029. They last 15 years, can be extended by another 5 and renewed once, for a maximum of 10 further years.
The tender rules also allow early access to the band for ultra-wideband systems, before the formal start date. Operators should check this point case by case with their technical advisers, because it can change investment plans.
Who can bid and under which limits
Half of the lots are reserved for incumbent WLL operators, that is, holders of usage rights already in force on 31 December 2022. The reservation covers national lots L3 and L4 and regional lots L1.1 to L1.21. For these companies the priority is to check their incumbent status and the paperwork behind their existing rights. The tender rules add controls on corporate control chains, so that reserved lots do not end up with entities linked to outgoing holders.
On the remaining lots, incumbents and new entrants compete together. A company entering this segment for the first time should expect a longer due diligence: admission requirements, financial guarantees and the required technical coverage.
Deadlines for the Italy 26 GHz auction
Three dates set the sequence. 25 September 2026 is the deadline for the application. The award is expected by the end of 2026. Assigned rights start on 1 January 2029.
About two years pass between the award and the operational start. Companies should use this time to plan network investment. The rules require the network to be installed within 36 months of frequency availability, and the commercial service to be active in every province of the assigned area.
How to prepare the bid
Sarzana’s guide sets out three concrete steps for the coming weeks.
- Map the lots of interest, national or regional, against existing network coverage, prior WLL presence and expansion plans. The choice between a national lot and regional lots changes the economic risk profile.
- Check technical compatibility with incumbent services in the target area. The rules set a band-sharing model in annex 3 and an incumbent protection plan in annex 4, which may include geographic exclusion zones.
- Set up the annual reporting plan to the Ministry and AGCOM now. Failure to meet installation and service obligations leads to loss of the award, but does not release the company from paying the last amount bid.
Open questions
Two points remain to be watched until the award. The first is the final price level: lower reserve prices than in 2018 do not guarantee low final amounts if demand for national lots is high. The second is the technical handling of band sharing with incumbents, which will depend on the exclusion zones actually applied province by province.
With such a tight timeline, operators should follow the FAQs and clarifications that the Ministry will publish in the coming weeks. A late clarification on a technical point can arrive after the application has already been filed.
For the full analysis, see the article on Agenda Digitale (in Italian).
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