Telecom Italia Is Top Bidder in Italian 5G Airwaves Auction

Telecom Italia SpA was the highest bidder in an Italian auction of airwaves for fifth-generation mobile services that raised at least $2.9 billion, as the industry piles into a technology whose commercial potential is yet to be tested. The former monopoly offered 951 million euros ($1.1 billion) for four blocks of spectrum, followed by Iliad SA with 749 million euros and Vodafone Group Plc’s local unit with 716 million euros, Italy’s ministry for economic development said on its website Tuesday. As a newcomer, France’s Iliad had a special right to bid for a reserved package of 700-megahertz frequencies, the most valuable.