Spectrum auction for 4G delayed for several months

THE LARGEST ever spectrum auction in the UK has been postponed after several mobile phone companies threatened legal action against Ofcom over a document that would have set out the terms of the sell-off.

The auction was scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2012, but will now be delayed until the second quarter.

The news will cause problems for one of the UK's smallest mobile phone operators, Three. While other British carriers have spare spectrum to reallocate to deal with the rising customer demand for bandwidth, Three does not and is fast running out.

When the auction is eventually carried out, it should allow successful bidders to roll out 4G (fourth-generation) spectrum by the end of 2013.

An Ofcom spokesman said: "This is a complex area, involving a large number of technical and competition issues that we need to consider and resolve before finalising proposals."

Read a full report at the Guardian. ·