U.K. telecom regulator Ofcom is looking to free up current spectrum bands reserved for 3G services for the deployment of “4G” services. The proposed move is in response to request from Vodafone Group and H3G asking that they be allowed to deploy “4G” services in their 900/1800/2100 MHz and 2100 MHz respective spectrum holdings.
Like most European countries, carriers have been limited to rolling out specific network technologies across certain spectrum bands in order to help facilitate roaming across the regions many borders.
Ofcom said that following the proposals, it was seeking comments to “liberalize all mobile licenses in the 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz bands to permit the deployment of 4G services (where such licenses have not already been liberalized). This will align the permitted technologies across all mobile spectrum licenses, including the existing licenses at 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz and the licenses to be awarded by auction in the 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz bands. This will meet a long standing objective to liberalize all mobile licenses so that there are no regulatory barriers to the deployment of the latest available mobile technology.”
Ofcom is currently in the process of auctioning spectrum licenses in the 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz band specifically for “4G” services. The combined spectrum up for bid constitutes a total of 250 megahertz, or nearly double the 333 megahertz of spectrum already set aside for cellular services. Companies participating in the auction include Everything Everywhere, HKT, H3G, MLL Telecom, BT Group, Telefonica UK and Vodafone.
Ofcom last year allowed Everything Everywhere to use its 1800 MHz spectrum license to rollout “4G” services, a move that the regulator acknowledged would allow the carrier to “enjoy a competitive advantage during the period before other operators are able to launch their own LTE services,” but noted that any advantage would not be long lasting. Everything Everywhere started the rollout of its LTE services last October.
Ovum noted that the move to free up spectrum for the rollout of “4G” services will be a positive for the market, though carriers will need time to be able to transition customers from current 2G and 3G services before they are able to make the move.
“[Carriers] would first need to be cleared of their existing use through a process of re-farming that would probably takes years rather than months, and so the spectrum that is currently being auctioned by Ofcom will most likely be used for Vodafone, O2 and [3’s] initial deployment of 4G services,” explained Matthew Howett, telecoms regulation analyst at Ovum, in a report.
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