Advertisment

UK mobile operators allowed to trade spectrum

author-image
CIOL Bureau
Updated On
New Update

LONDON, UK: British mobile operators will be allowed to trade radio spectrum to help meet the surging demand for mobile broadband services, the telecoms regulator said on Wednesday.

Advertisment

Ofcom said in a statement it would now oversee the trading of spectrum, which should make the provision of services more efficient.

"Over the past two decades, mobile phone companies in the UK have acquired blocks of licensed spectrum," it said. "Not all operators hold the same amount of spectrum, and the level of demand for mobile services also differs from area to area."

Ofcom said that under the proposals, spectrum at 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz could be traded.

Advertisment

"This... comes in response to the fast pace of change and innovation taking place in the mobile communications sector, which is placing increased demands on spectrum," Ofcom Chief Executive Ed Richards said.

"One important way of meeting this demand is making the acquisition of spectrum as flexible as possible."

Everything Everywhere, a joint venture between France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom, is the leading operator in Britain, followed by Telefonica's O2, Vodafone and Hutchison Whampoa's

tech-news