Expiring spectrum licences (stage 4) – updated preliminary views on pricing

We have published the stakeholder submissions to our updated preliminary views on pricing. You can access these at the bottom of this page. 

These submissions helped form our preferred views on pricing, which was released on 20 May 2026. We have now concluded the pricing component of stage 4 of the ESL work program.

Many of the spectrum licences that underpin mobile phone services, parts of the NBN, and that support certain rail networks and television production services, are due to expire between 2028 and 2032. 

We have engaged in a consultative process to identify which options for these licences will best benefit Australians. This includes whether to renew the licences and at what price. 

We are seeking feedback on our updated benchmarking methodology for valuing the spectrum, and preliminary views on the price for renewing ESLs.  

We previously consulted on our methodology and preliminary views on price ranges for the renewal of ESLs between April and July 2025. Submissions were generally supportive of our benchmarking approach and provided feedback on the design of the methodology.  

We engaged DotEcon to conduct a peer review of our methodology and submissions. This:

• provided an external perspective on stakeholder feedback
• identified opportunities to strengthen the methodology.  

Based on this feedback, we have simplified our pricing methodology for ESL valuations to enhance transparency, consistency and robustness. 

The refinements to the methodology led to updated preliminary prices for each band. This is outlined in the consultation paper above.