Netimperative
Netimperative
  • Home
  • Ads
  • Content
  • Mobile
  • E-commerce
  • Social
  • Regulation
  • Video
  • Viral
Menu
  • Apple
  • Amazon
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • YouTube

4G UK auction: 2 surprise bidders revealed

December 21, 2012

There will be two relative strangers to UK mobile users among the firms bidding in next year’s 4G auction.

Industry regulator Ofcom unveiled the seven bidders for the auction of bandwidth for 4G mobile broadband services in the UK.
The bidders are Everything Everywhere, BT, Vodafone, O2, Three, Hong Kong conglomerate PCCW and UK network supplier MLL Telecom.
Ofcom says the auction will increase the amount of airwave capacity available for mobiles by more than 75%. It is expected to raise £3.5bn for the Government.
“New 4G services will stimulate investment, growth and innovation in the UK, and deliver significant benefits to consumers in terms of better, faster and more reliable mobile broadband connections,” says Ed Richards, Ofcom’s chief executive.
Download speeds will initially be at least five to seven times faster than existing 3G networks, Ofcom claims.
EE 4G’s network is already up and runnin and the company has confirmed its service will go live in 17 more towns and cities across the UK by March 2013.
Vodafone, Hutchison 3G and O2 parent firm Telefonica will also be competing while it is understood that BT is more interested in bolstering its wi-fi services than in becoming a major mobile phone player.
The intentions of PCCW, which owns Hong Kong Telecom, and UK network supplier MLL Telecom are less clear but MLL confirmed that its interest was limited to one of supporting mobile firms rather than becoming an operator itself.
Ofcom said the auction, which kicks off next month, will herald “better, faster and more reliable mobile broadband connections” for consumers across the UK.
Its chief executive Ed Richards said: “The 4G auction will be a competitive process that will dictate the shape of the UK mobile phone market for the next decade and beyond.”
It is expected to raise up to £3.5bn for the Treasury.
The bidders will be competing to buy airwaves in two separate bands – higher frequency 2.6 GHz and lower frequency 800 MHz – with around 28 lots of spectrum up for grabs in total.
Experts suggest that, for the typical user, download speeds of initial 4G networks will be at least five to seven times faster than those for existing 3G networks.
This means a music album that takes 20 minutes to download on a 3G phone will take just over three minutes on 4G.
4G is also expected to revolutionise other high-bandwidth data services such as streaming high-quality video or watching live TV.

Uncategorized, Video broadband, government, music, UK

Archives

Tags

advertising agencies Amazon analytics Android Apple apps Australia BBC brands Brazil broadband China Christmas comScore content digital marketing ecommerce email Entertainment Europe Facebook France games Germany global Google government images infographic local marketing media Microsoft music Privacy retail Search security smartphones technology Twitter UK video YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Top six Valentine’s Day ads for 2022
  • 2021 Halloween: digital marketing campaigns we loved this year
  • Empowering employees; the critical link between EX and CX
  • Investing in in-app social features is a must in a world that is crying out to be connected
  • QR codes, Gen Z and the future of OOH

Copyright © 2025 Netimperative.

Magazine WordPress Theme by themehall.com

We use cookies to improve the website and your experience. We’ll assume you’re okay with this, but you’re welcome to opt-out
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT