Three (3) decided to put its fortune-teller hat on and predict that its rivals, for instance O2, Orange and T-Mobile’s parent, Everything Everywhere, as well as Vodafone will try to postpone Ofcom’s spectrum auction (to be used for 4G and LTE mobile broadband).
In more detail, the aforementioned spectrum includes both 800MHz and 2.6GHz bands.
It is worth adding that O2 and Vodafone received the permission to give their 900MHz and 1800MHz bands a new purpose – from 2G to 3G, a move after which Three (3) has been raising the roof saying it was an “unfair competitive advantage”.
Chairman of Three (3), David Dyson, was reported by FT as saying:
“It is up to Ofcom and the government to take a strong lead to make sure that any potential disruption to the auction is dealt with effectively because O2, Vodafone and Everything Everywhere are all incentivised differently to defer that auction for as long as possible.”
It has been suggested that Ofcom was planning to put the finishing touches on its auction regulations guide by the end of this year.
If any mobile operators or broadband providers felt like they wanted to challenge the telecoms watchdog, they would be expected to do so in the coming months. This particularly includes O2, who has been particularly vocal about the plans.
Pingback: UK’s largest ever spectrum auction delayed – The Guardian – Social Network News