During the New Zealand government’s auction of the remaining 2x5MHz block of 700MHz radio spectrum, Telecom Mobile won the final lot by paying NZ$83 million ($69 million), TeleGeography reported Wednesday.

In the first round of the auction late last year, Telecom and Vodafone each successfully bid for 2x15MHz blocks, while 2degrees successfully bid for 2x10MHz blocks, leaving a single 2x5MHz block unsold.

Telecom inaugurated its 1800MHz LTE network in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and a number of popular holiday destinations in 2013. The 700MHz spectrum is expected to be deployed on its 4G network in rural areas.