The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today published the final draft auction regulations for its plan to auction off a large chunk of millimetre wave (mmW) radio spectrum frequency in the 26GHz and 40GHz bands, which will be used by mobile operators to deliver faster 5G (mobile broadband) services – mostly in urban areas.
At present EE (BT), O2 (Virgin Media), Vodafone and Three UK already have access to several 5G bands between 700MHz and 3.8GHz. Such frequencies reflect the same sort of mid-band radio spectrum that mobile network operators have been harnessing since the advent of the first 3G and 4G data networks many years ago.
However, the move to auction off the two higher frequencies of 26GHz (25.1-27.5GHz) and 40GHz (40.5-43.5GHz) is designed to complement existing bands by providing operators with lots of additional spectrum frequency, which means more data capacity for extremely fast speeds (e.g. multi-Gigabit). But such signals tend to be very weak, which means they’re often best for serving busy areas (e.g. shopping malls, airports etc.) and fixed wireless broadband (FWA) services.
The auction process for all this has already been detailed since 2023 (here), although the regulator had been waiting for a final decision on Vodafone’s proposed merger with Three UK before proceeding (i.e. because that deal may result in some changes to competitive spectrum holdings). But the CMA now looks set to give that merger the green light (here) and so Ofcom are moving forward, again, by publishing the final draft auction regulations and some other related documents.
Ofcom’s Statement
Next year, we will release spectrum in the 25.1-27.5 GHz and 40.5-43.5 GHz bands, which we call millimetre wave, or mmWave. This is high frequency and well suited to carrying large amounts of data in densely populated towns and cities. It is particularly appropriate for places where there are lots of people, like stadiums, busy streets, concert venues and train stations.
Ofcom has today also published information for parties considering participating in the 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 we are making available and the conditions for use of the spectrum; and
➤ information about where the spectrum will be licensed for use.
The auction will take place in 2025 and we expect to provide a further update on timings before the end of this year.
Just to recap. Ofcom are aiming to award several 15-year, fixed term citywide licences (“high density areas”) to use the “new” mmWave bands in 68 major towns and cities across the UK, as well as some localised licences for “low density areas” within those cities via their Shared Access licensing framework. The UK is a long way behind other countries that have already awarded spectrum in the mmW bands, but one advantage of playing catch-up is that supporting mobile kit and device support is now much more mature than it once was.