News
Ofcom paves way for 2009 mobile TV auction
Stuart O'Brien Jun 6 2008, 4:59pm
UK media regulator issues consultation document ahead of UHF spectrum sell-off next year.
The 128MHz spectrum in the UHF band is currently used for the delivery of TV channels using analogue technology.
Ofcom's consultation document proposes to release the spectrum in a way that will 'promote competition and innovation and allow the widest range of technologies and services to access the spectrum'.
Examples are listed as mobile TV, ultra-fast mobile broadband and more digital TV services.
Ofcom says the licences would be tradable and flexible to allow users to determine the technology and services they provide and to change the use of the airwaves as new technologies and services emerge.
Ofcom plans to make the spectrum available on a UK-wide basis, holding an auction in 2009. The spectrum will be freed up for new uses in phases, as digital switchover proceeds between now and 2012.
