"It is important that we support our own investments and innovation in this area," EU Commissioner Henna Virkkunen said at a press conference in Brussels.
The idea is that a third of the 2 GHz band will be earmarked for military and other government services under an EU-based operator. The rest will be open for commercial use, with half going to new European operators and the other half to existing (including non-European) operators.
The proposal comes as current licenses for the 2 GHz band expire in 2027. However, to allow time for consideration of the proposal, the Commission is proposing a two-year extension for current operators.
