Ofcom has given the first round of 4G spectrum bidding the green light. This means network operators such as Vodafone, O2 and EE will be bidding for the biggest chunk of spectrum. This means that you will soon get to use 4G-enabled handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE or Nokia Lumia 920 on other networks aside from EE.
Ofcom Chief Executive, Ed Richards, said on its website, “Today’s 4G auction is a very significant milestone for the UK’s communications sector.
“It will release the essential raw material for the next wave of mobile digital services. This will change the way we consume digital media in both our personal and working lives and deliver significant benefits to millions of consumers and businesses across the country.”
Explaining the bidding process, the site says, “Bids are being placed online over secure connections, using software that has been developed specifically for the auction. The bidding will continue over several rounds and is expected to take a number of weeks until the final winners are known.”
Once there’s a winner, when should we expect the winning bidder to dish out LTE data? The site says, “Once fees are paid, licences will be granted, enabling operators to start rolling out new networks. It is expected that services will be launched by a range of providers from late spring / summer 2013.”
Speaking about the spectrum lots to be auctioned, the site says, “Bidders will be competing for 28 lots of spectrum in two separate bands – 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz. The lower frequency 800 MHz band is part of the ‘digital dividend’ freed up when analogue terrestrial TV was switched off, which is ideal for widespread mobile coverage.
“The higher frequency 2.6 GHz band is ideal for delivering the capacity needed for faster speeds. These two bands add up to 250 MHz of additional mobile spectrum, compared to 333 MHz in use today. Both bands are being packaged into smaller lots of spectrum for the auction.
“This combination of low and high frequency spectrum creates the potential for 4G mobile broadband services to be widely available across the UK, while offering capacity to cope with significant demand in urban centres.”
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