Ofcom kicks off 4G auction

22nd Mar 2011 08:25

Telecoms regulator Ofcom has started the ball rolling on the auction of bandwidth for the next generation of smart 4G mobile phones.The regulator said the auction for space the two spectrum bands - 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz - will begin in the first quarter of 2012 with strict safeguards to stop any one or two firms dominating the sale.Ofcom wants at least "four national wholesale competitors with credible spectrum portfolios for providing higher quality data services". To ensure it gets this, limits will be placed both on the minimum and maximum amounts of spectrum bidders can win. The lower frequency 800 MHz band, is ideal for widespread mobile coverage, Ofcom said. The 2.6 GHz band is at a higher frequency, and is ideal for delivering the capacity needed to deliver higher speeds. These two bands add up to 250 MHz of additional mobile spectrum."The combination of low and high frequency spectrum available in the 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz bands creates the potential for next generation mobile broadband services to be widely available across the UK, while at the same time having the capacity to cope with significant demand, even in urban centres," Ofcom said.