The Australian Government has received a proposal from Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) to acquire 2 x 10 MHz of the unsold 700 MHz ‘digital dividend’ spectrum.

6 May 2016

The terms of VHA's proposal are consistent with the Australian Government's spectrum policy objectives, which include maximising the overall public benefit derived from the spectrum by ensuring its efficient allocation and use. In addition, VHA's proposal replicates, as far as possible, the rules of the digital dividend auction to ensure that VHA is not advantaged by not participating in that auction process in 2013.

The Department of Communications and the Arts has released for consultation a draft Ministerial Direction to the Australian Communications and Media Authority that would implement the details of VHA's proposal. Submissions are to be made by Friday, 10 June 2016.

The draft Ministerial Direction is available on the Have Your Say page.

Media contact: media [at] communications.gov.au.