UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has unveiled plans that will allow mobile operators to trade spectrum with each other for the first time.
The move is part of efforts to increase flexibility in the mobile sector to allow operators to cope with increasing…
UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has unveiled plans that will allow mobile operators to trade spectrum with each other for the first time.
The move is part of efforts to increase flexibility in the mobile sector to allow operators to cope with increasing demand for capacity.
Mobile operators Everything Everywhere, O2, Vodafone and 3 have been acquiring blocks of spectrum in varying sizes over the past two decades. The level of demand for mobile services also differs from area to area.
According to Ofcom, the government directed the regulator to make mobile licences tradable in December 2010 as part of a wider initiative to bring further efficiencies to the sector.
“This is an important milestone in the modernisation of spectrum management in the UK,” said Ofcom CEO Ed Richards.
“It comes in response to the fast pace of change and innovation taking place in the mobile communications sector, which is placing increased demands on spectrum. One important way of meeting this demand is making the acquisition of spectrum as flexible as possible.”
Ofcom will assess whether competition is likely to be distorted before giving its consent to a mobile spectrum trade. It has also pledged to publish details of proposed trades online as part of its responsibility for the administration of these transactions.
