UK pay-TV firm BSkyB has distanced itself from reports suggesting it could acquire spectrum that mobile operator Everything Everywhere is selling this year.
A BSkyB spokesman played down reports that the two companies had held discussions over the…
UK pay-TV firm BSkyB has distanced itself from reports suggesting it could acquire spectrum that mobile operator Everything Everywhere is selling this year.
A BSkyB spokesman played down reports that the two companies had held discussions over the frequencies, which the telco is looking to divest before October under European Commission rules.
“As you might expect we regularly meet with a wide range of companies to explore and understand potential opportunities,” he said in an emailed statement.
“While we continue to extend our leadership in mobile content, we currently have no plans to offer mobile access beyond our existing public WiFi network.”
The company declined to comment further on the matter. SatelliteFinance has learned that the two companies met several months ago on EE’s invitation, but they have not met or followed up since.
In an interview towards the end of May, Olaf Swantee, EE’s CEO, said his group was receiving interest from both existing and aspiring mobile operators for the 2x15MHz of 1800MHz frequencies being sold through Morgan Stanley.
Swantee said this capacity would be enough for a company with no previous spectrum to offer viable services. He added that the move would provide clarity for an aspiring operator’s spectrum portfolio ahead of the UK’s 4G auction in Q4 2012.
As well as BSkyB, British fixed-line operators BT and Virgin Media have also hinted they could take part in UK regulator Ofcom’s 4G auction.
Even still, established mobile operators O2, Vodafone and 3 are expected to be frontrunners for EE’s spectrum, as well as for the 4G frequencies being auctioned later this year.
