There has been a string of postponements of spectrum auctions in Europe and parts of Asia, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. In most cases, the regulators aim to reschedule the processes for the second half of 2020, or perhaps 2021. But another option is to allocate the spectrum in an alternative way, so as not to hold up 5G roll-out. This is the choice of the New Zealand government, which had delayed its 3.5 GHz auction from February to May, but has now decided just to allocate the airwaves at a low fixed price in order to stimulate 5G deployment and the wider economy. Telcos are being offered the midband spectrum – considered the beachfront for first-phase, capacity-led…