Ofcom is braced for a large-scale 4G mobile auction, needed to meet the “rapid increase” in mobile traffic.
The planned auction will be the biggest single auction of additional spectrum for mobile services in the UK, equivalent to 75% of mobile spectrum and 80% more than the 3G auction which happened in 2000.
Spectrum is the airwaves that carry the information between mobile phones and the internet, allowing users to access the web and enjoy various mobile services. As a result of growing smartphones and mobile broadband data services – including video streaming, email and social networking sites– this 4G auction is needed to provide capacity for 4G connectivity.
Ofcom Chief Executive, Ed Richards, said: “The auction is not only critical to the future of the UK mobile telecommunications market but it is also of significant importance to the wider economy. It will support a wide range of data services that are fast becoming essential features of the modern world.”
“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,” he said, commenting “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.”
To maximise UK coverage for next-generation mobile broadband services, as well as help ensure there is capacity to cope with demand, the auction will include two spectrum bands – 800MHz and 2.6GHz. The lower 800MHz frequency is suitable for widespread mobile coverage whereas the higher frequency should deliver higher speeds.
Ofcom states the auction has been carefully designed to promote competition and to increase mobile broadband coverage to 95% of the UK population.
The 4G auction is “aiming to start” in Q1 2012.
Via: Ofcom
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