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The Internet auction of a total of 48 licences for the Wireless Local Loop (WLL) netted 582'757’580 Swiss francs in total. The three national licences were auctioned for 120, 134 and 55 million Swiss francs. The remaining revenue came from 31 regional licences. Limited interest in the licences was apparent only in eastern Switzerland (4 licences auctioned out of 5 put out to tender), in Ticino (2 out of 5 licences) and in Valais and the Grisons (none of the 5 licences). The frequencies still available in these regions may be allocated on application from 1 June 2000, with the possibility of forming smaller sub-regions. The price for this allocation corresponds to the tariff laid down in the decrees, which was also the basis for the calculation of the minimum bid in the auction. The new technology will therefore allow 9 telecommunications service providers to compete with Swisscom for subscriber connections (the so-called "last mile"). The Federal Council and parliament will decide how the money is to be used.
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