4G mobile auction encourages ‘fair competition’
1 min read
Telecoms regulator Ofcom has announced plans to auction 4G mobile services in a process designed to encourage fair competition among operators and provide the widest coverage for consumers.
The auction will sell off 800MHz and 2.6GHz of spectrum. The 800MHz was freed up from the switch over to digital tv from analogue and is suitable for widespread mobile coverage, the 2.6GHz band is suited for delivering higher speeds.
To maintain competition, the regulator will sell the spectrum in a series of combinations to impose limits on the minimum and maximum amounts of spectrum bidders can win. Ofcom said this was to ensure that at least four national operators could exist in the market.
Ofcom chief executive, Ed Richards, pictured, said: "Our role as the independent regulator is to award this spectrum in a way that secures the best use of the spectrum for the benefit of citizens and consumers in the UK. That is why we are proposing to design the auction in a way that not only encourages investment but also promotes competition and delivers wide coverage of services."
Ofcom said the auction will start in the first quarter of 2012 and also plans to impose a coverage obligation of 95% of the UK population for one license in the 800MHz bandwidth.
