UK mobile operator Three would be open to partnering with new spectrum players in next year’s 4G auction, CEO David Dyson told journalists today.
“We would be open to exploring the opportunity,” said Dyson during a media briefing in…
UK mobile operator Three would be open to partnering with new spectrum players in next year’s 4G auction, CEO David Dyson told journalists today.
“We would be open to exploring the opportunity,” said Dyson during a media briefing in London.
However, he insisted that such negotiations had yet to take place because the group is still awaiting finalised auction rules, which are likely to be published before Q1 2012.
“We haven’t talked to anybody about joint bidding at the moment,” he said.
Three is looking to participate in next year’s 4G auction in part to address what it sees as a spectrum imbalance caused by regulator Ofcom’s decision to allow operators to use their 2G frequencies for 3G services. Having only picked up 3G spectrum in the UK’s auction in 2000, Three has criticised the regulator’s decision because, unlike larger rivals Vodafone, O2 and Everything Everywhere, it did not have 2G frequencies to refarm.
Like other operators, Three, which is owned by Hong-Kong-based conglomerate Hutchinson Whampoa, is also looking to acquire additional spectrum to cater for increasing demands for capacity.
The group plans to continue pinning its service proposition on ‘all you can eat’ data offerings, said Dyson. This he claimed will support the group in doubling its customer base from around 5.5 million to ten million in four years.
Three UK posted £155m in EBITDA for 2010, up from £82m the year before, after breaking even in 2008.
