Ofcom plans to auction licences for L-Band


The UK L-Band allocation from 1452-1492MHz, which is suitable for mobile multimedia services such as mobile TV as well as satellite digital radio and WiMax wireless broadband, is to be auctioned by Ofcom, the UK’s spectrum regulator.
The proposed auction will take place ‘on-line’ starting in the spring of 2008 and will consist of 16 lots of 1.7MHz from 1452-1479.5MHz and one lot comprising of the remaining 1479.5-1492MHz slot.
Ofcom announced that the L-Band spectrum will be released on a “technology and service-neutral basis” and that all licences will be tradable.
The L-band auction is only a small part of a wider programme to sell licences for approximately 400MHz of UK spectrum, in various bands up to 3GHz and will ultimately include the ‘digital-dividend’ spectrum released in the UHF TV bands when analogue TV is switched off.
Main source: ZDNET.co.uk
Following the announcement Ofcom has started a consultation on these proposals, which is open until the 18th January 2008. The full document can be found by clicking on the following link
Ofcom proposal to make regulation ref. Award of 1455-1492MHz
Item added: 11th December 2007