This year began with the agenda-setting arrival of the European Commission’s proposal for the Digital Networks Act, legislation that will define Europe’s connectivity landscape for the coming decade. Its spectrum measures are a positive step for the industry, representing a pro-investment approach to licensing that would give mobile network operators the clarity and long-term visibility needed to keep investing in their networks.
The European Parliament’s ITRE Committee draft report from October 2026 now reaffirms this approach by including indefinite or long-term licences of 50 years, together with automatic renewals for existing licences. In doing so, it recognises that mobile networks are built and upgraded over long investment cycles, and that certainty over access to spectrum is one of the most effective ways to support investment in Europe’s digital infrastructure and better connectivity for citizens and businesses.
An opportunity to look ahead
Rather than a process to be waited out, the DNA offers Europe an opportunity to think about the future of its networks. The Commission’s proposal, the studies that informed it and the Parliament’s draft report already show the value that long-term, predictable spectrum policy can bring to society, and, in that sense, they already act as a guide for decisions being taken today, particularly in Member States where spectrum rights are due to expire shortly before the DNA is expected to apply.
GSMA research points in the same direction, estimating that renewing licences at no cost could increase network speeds by up to 23% and add up to €75 billion to Europe’s GDP by 2035, while automatic low-cost renewals could save up to €30 billion in spectrum costs over the next ten years, resources that could instead support network investment. With this in mind, there is much to gain from ensuring that any decisions taken in the meantime reflect its spirit. In practice, however, some ongoing national renewal processes risk departing from the direction the proposed DNA sets.
Progress at risk
Spectrum usage rights are approaching expiry in several Member States, beginning with Portugal in March 2027, making it crucial that the DNA’s objectives are reflected in national approaches. Decisions taken now could remain effective for many years, impacting the delivery of the DNA’s intended benefits.
In the GSMA’s view, renewal terms that are granted during the negotiation period of the DNA should move wherever possible towards the longer-term approach set out in the DNA, which would best support the investment cycles needed for network upgrades, coverage, resilience and security. Shorter renewal horizons, including interim renewals that do not even meet the minimum requirements of today’s European Electronic Communications Code, risk undermining these important intentions and creating a lasting divergence between Member States dictated solely by the timing of licence expiry.
More broadly, early renewal processes are a valuable opportunity to show how DNA principles can be put into practice across Europe. Conversely, decisions that depart from those principles shortly before the DNA enters into force could lock Member States into materially different spectrum frameworks for many years. As European Commission Executive Vice President Virkkunen stressed in reply to a question from Member of the European Parliament Cunha (Portugal, EPP) last month, it is important to “address limitations of the current system and prevent national spectrum decisions from fragmenting the single market or undermining long-term competition, efficient spectrum use and investments”.
The future is now
Longer, more predictable renewal periods do not remove regulatory oversight, nor do they prevent action where competition or efficient spectrum use is at risk, since the DNA provides safeguards to address these concerns while giving operators the certainty needed to plan long-term network investment.
Similarly, transitional measures aimed at aligning licence expiry dates are distinct from licence renewals. They should be assessed accordingly and designed to preserve, rather than prejudge, the application of the DNA’s principles to the subsequent award.
In practical terms, renewal processes starting now would best support the DNA’s objectives by:
- Treating renewal as the default outcome for existing bands, through an administrative renewal rather than a new auction
- Granting indefinite licences, or at the very least very long durations, so operators can invest and recover that investment over realistic timeframes
- Concluding renewal decisions well in advance of licence expiry
- Keeping renewal and annual fees low, with free or low-cost renewals linked where appropriate to clear investment commitments
- Facilitating spectrum trading and leasing, so that spectrum can move to its most efficient use over time
- National circumstances will naturally differ, and greater European alignment does not mean identical renewal outcomes. The key consideration must be whether each forthcoming national decision advances the DNA’s objectives of long-term investment certainty, efficient spectrum use and high-quality connectivity.
Given the importance of the renewal processes currently underway, a coordinated approach is required, especially for Member States whose spectrum rights expire shortly before the DNA enters into force, as even a short timing difference could result in materially different regulatory and investment conditions over the long term. Getting these decisions right will help ensure that Europe captures the benefits the DNA was designed to deliver by supporting long-term investment, innovation, and efficient spectrum use, rather than pre-empting, weakening, or constraining those benefits before the legislation is even in place.