Ofcom will award frequencies in both 26 GHz and 40 GHz bands
In sum – what to know:
Largest UK spectrum release – Ofcom will auction 5.4 GHz of mmWave spectrum, the biggest release in UK history, with licences for the 26 GHz and 40 GHz bands.
Boost for 5G networks – The additional capacity will enhance 5G performance in high-demand urban areas, enabling faster speeds and supporting data-heavy applications.
Industrial and rural benefits – Beyond city use, spectrum could support rural broadband and industrial automation through shared access licenses, expanding mmWave’s role.
U.K. communications services regulator Ofcom said it will open applications on September 16-17 September for licenses to use 26 GHz and 40 GHz mmWave spectrum, marking the country’s largest-ever release of mobile spectrum.
The move is designed to accelerate the rollout of 5G services, expand mobile capacity, and unlock faster speeds while encouraging new applications in the telecom sector.
mmWave spectrum is expected to make the biggest impact in dense urban areas and transport hubs, where demand for high-capacity connections is greatest. Ofcom noted it could also enable advanced wireless use cases requiring ultra-high data throughput or extremely fast speeds.
A total of 5.4 GHz of spectrum will be made available in the auction, the largest amount ever released in the U.K. While 5G deployment using mmWave remains limited globally, the U.K. is positioning itself as one of the first markets to allocate it at scale.
The spectrum release is expected to benefit both consumers and enterprises by supporting greater capacity, faster speeds, and improved network resilience in crowded areas such as stadiums, city centres, and train stations.
Licensess will be awarded across 68 high-density zones, focusing on cities and towns where demand for mobile data is highest. In addition, spectrum in the 26 GHz band is already available under Ofcom’s shared access licensing scheme, which supports use cases like rural fixed wireless broadband or industrial automation in locations such as ports.
5G technology currently accounts for 28% of all mobile connections in the U.K., according to a previous report by the country’s telecommunications regulator Ofcom.
This figure represents an increase of 9 percentage points year-on-year. The report also noted that 4G connections dropped to 71% of total connections, down 7 percentage points year-on-year.
