Ofcom will award spectrum in the 25.1-27.5 GHz and 40.5-43.5 GHz bands next year
U.K. telecom regulator Ofcom announced the publication of the text of the final regulation for the upcoming spectrum of mmWave frequencies. This text, which may be subject to minor amendments, will be enacted and become law in early 2025, Ofcom said.
Next year, the watchdog will award spectrum in the 25.1-27.5 GHz and 40.5-43.5 GHz bands. The regulator noted that this spectrum can carry large amounts of data and has the potential to improve mobile speeds in busy areas, such as train stations, football stadiums and concert venues. It could also support innovative services such as virtual reality and factory automation, Ofcom said.
Ofcom has also published information for parties considering participating in the spectrum auction, including:
-practical guidance to help participants navigate the auction, including how to apply, and indicative timings for each stage of the award process;
-information about the spectrum being made available and the conditions for use of the spectrum; and
-information about where the spectrum will be licenced for use.
The auction will take place in 2025 and Ofcom noted that it will provide a further update on timings before the end of this year.
In September 2023, Ofcom announced that it will open these spectrum bands to mobile technology, including 5G services, for the provision of faster 5G speeds across 68 towns and cities across the U.K. Ofcom aims to award several 15-year, fixed term citywide licenses to use the mmWave frequencies in 68 major towns and cities across the U.K., as well as some localized licenses for “low density areas” within those cities via a shared access licensing framework, according to previous reports.
In a previous update, Ofcom also confirmed that the mmWave spectrum auction will not include a negotiation period during the final assignment stage, which typically provides winners of spectrum with the opportunity to agree that their respective allocations of spectrum will be adjacent.
Ofcom also previously confirmed it will not hold an auction of mmWave spectrum until a decision has been made by the country’s competition authorities on a proposed merger between local carriers Vodafone and Three UK.
The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has recently provisionally found that a multi-billion-pound commitment to upgrade the network of the new entity resulting from the merger of local carriers Vodafone and Three UK across the country, including the rollout of 5G, combined with short-term customer protections could solve competition concerns identified by the regulator in September and allow the merger to go ahead.
The CMA investigation provisionally found in September that the merger could lead to higher prices for customers and harm the position of mobile virtual network operators, such as Sky Mobile, Lyca, Lebara and iD Mobile. The CMA also consulted on potential solutions to address its concerns — known as remedies.
The CMA has also recently published a remedies working paper to seek views on the effectiveness of a proposed remedy package. It provisionally finds that a legally binding commitment to undertake the network integration and investment program proposed by Vodafone and Three would significantly improve the quality of the merged company’s mobile network, boosting competition between mobile network operators in the long term.
CMA also noted that this announcement is provisional, with a final decision due before the December 7 statutory deadline.
