Ofcom Progresses 5G Auction

Ofcom confirmed the name of six companies eligible in the upcoming spectrum auctions for bands.

21:54 09 March 2018

Six companies that are eligible to partake in the upcoming auction for bands are EE, O2 UK, Vodafone UK, Three, Airspan Spectrum Holdings (a venture backed by Japanese conglomerate Softbank) and Connexin (a regional wireless broadband provider).

 

The auction is set to start later this month after Ofcom has fought off legal challenges from EE and Three, which claimed that spectrum caps imposed on operators did not do enough to address competition concerns. EE, on the other hand, wanted the cap removed completely.

 

Ofcom spectrum director Philip Marnick said: “We’re pressing ahead with the auction to make these airwaves available as quickly as possible. This will benefit today’s mobile users by providing more capacity for mobile broadband use. It will also pave the way for 5G – allowing operators to launch the next generation of mobile technology.”