(Reuters) – Proximus, the first mobile operator to launch a 5G network in Belgium, said on Thursday that market regulator BIPT has allotted temporary 5G licences to it and four other companies.
BIPT has offered 40MHz each to Proximus, Cegeka, Entropia, Telenet and Orange Belgium, it said.
These temporary licenses will remain valid until the 5G auction, delayed in Belgium due to a disagreement between regional governments over the auction proceeds, the company added.
Proximus, which is 53.5% owned by the Belgian government, also reported first-quarter domestic core profit slightly above expectations at 428 million euros ($464.94 million).
It reiterated all the targets announced on March 31, adding that the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on its results will become more pronounced in the second quarter.
(Reporting by Maria Trybus; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
