Spain has reallocated the 26GHz band in the country to private 5G use. In particular, the Spanish Government wants the bandwidth to be used for industrial automation and Industry 4.0 purposes.

In a statement, Spain’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation stated that the regulatory change allows part of the frequencies on the 26 GHz band to be granted without bidding. It envisages these non-bid allocations to be industrial, restricted to particular locations and self-provisioning.

“This modification means taking a further step towards the creation, by way of example, of private 5G networks for the automation of factories and production centres”, the Ministry’s statement states.

According to Spain’s main business newspaper Cinco Dias, Ministry sources explained that the blocks to be awarded are those allocated for self-provision. These are not among the frequencies that were awarded in an spectrum auction Spain held in December.

In December, Telefónica, Vodafone and Orange acquired different blocks for around 36 million euros. This was well below the auction starting price of 56 million euros. The auction left a lot of spectrum unacquired, particularly at regional level. Of 12 national blocks, three remain unallocated. Of 38 regional blocks, only one has been allocated. This is in Castilla y León, which has been acquired by Globe Operator Telecom.

The national allocations are in the 200 MHz band 25.10-27.50 GHz, while the regional blocks are in the 24.70-25.10 GHz band.

The reallocation of bandwidth to industrial and manufacturing private 5G use is part of Spain’s broader national Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RRTP), which was agreed in 2022, as well as the country’s Digital Spain 2026 strategy.