The UK government plans to release “at least 500MHz of public sector spectrum” over the next ten years for mobile operators, UK chancellor George Osborne revealed last week in his highly-anticipated spending review.
Outlining measures designed to reduce…
The UK government plans to release “at least 500MHz of public sector spectrum” over the next ten years for mobile operators, UK chancellor George Osborne revealed last week in his highly-anticipated spending review.
Outlining measures designed to reduce Britain’s burgeoning deficit, the spending review revealed the spectrum will be taken from below 5GHz, specifically for “new mobile communication uses, including mobile broadband”.
No further details were disclosed, but a spokesperson for UK regulator Ofcom told TelecomFinance that the majority of the spectrum could come from the Ministry of Defence, because it is the main public sector spectrum user, holding about a third of the spectrum below 15 GHz.
“Public sector spectrum holdings amount to nearly half of the total spectrum below 15 GHz,” said the spokesperson.
“More efficient use of this spectrum and its release to the wider marketplace has the potential to deliver substantial benefits for citizens and consumers.”
The government has already announced its intention to auction frequencies in the 800MHz and 2.6GHz bands to cater for the soaring demand for mobile broadband.
Ofcom expects the auction for these bands to commence in Q1 2012.
