UK telecoms regulator Ofcom said yesterday that it believed the best way to release spectrum in the 2010-2025MHz band was through a competitive award process, with the earliest date for an award being in the first quarter of 2012.
Ofcom’s statement was…
UK telecoms regulator Ofcom said yesterday that it believed the best way to release spectrum in the 2010-2025MHz band was through a competitive award process, with the earliest date for an award being in the first quarter of 2012.
Ofcom’s statement was made in a report showing the results of its May 2010 consultation on how to use this spectrum, which is currently unused in the UK. In the responses Ofcom received, there was demand for allocating the spectrum for wireless cameras and Programme Making & Special Events (PMSE)
But Ofcom also said that others had demanded the spectrum for mobile broadband services, and that these had argued “implicitly or explicitly” for the release of the spectrum through a competitive award.
Ofcom also noted the evidence of demand for mobile services in a recent German spectrum auction, in which the 2010MHz band had been acquired for E5.7m.
It concluded that “it would be more beneficial to release the spectrum through a competitive award”.
It said this award would be the subject of a future consultation. The earliest possible time it could take place would be Q1 2012. But the award could take place later, depending on how this award is prioritised amid Ofcom’s other spectrum management activities.
