http://www.itnews.com.au/news/govt-rejects-vodafones-594m-bid-for...

http://www.itnews.com.au/news/govt-...eed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=editors_picks
This is potentially a big long term blow to Vodafone in Australia.
Spectrum is the lifeblood of the mobile network and Vodafone have a lot less than Optus or Telstra.
Up until now Vodafone have been turning off parts of their 3G spectrum and reusing it for 4G. This has conserved cash but long term they will run out of bandwidth and the network will run slow again.
So buying into the 700MHz spectrum is crucial for Vodafone.

To make 700MHz a viable frequency for Vodafone they need to buy at least 2x10MHz. But now 2x15MHz is going up for Auction. If Optus and Telstra get 2x5MHz each it makes vodafones remains 2x5MHz effectively useless as a mobile network really needs at least 2x10MHz to be functional so Vodafone won't bid for 2x5MHz
So Vodafone has to go hard for 2x10MHz or 2x15MHz.The other two would know that outbidding Vodafone essentially ends their ability to provide competitive 4G services. 700MHz is essential for long range 4G services and building penetration and will remain relevant for another decade at least as 5G is a short range solution.. Vodafone will either pay too much for this spectrum or be relegated to an inferior network..