Wednesday 25 July 2012
Businesses may have to wait a while longer to take advantage of next-generation mobile services, after Ofcom pushed back the timescale for its 4G auction.
The media regulator is planning to auction off spectrum in the 800MHz and 2.6GHz frequency bands, although technical and regulatory issues have delayed this process.
Ofcom says the spectrum auction - likely to involve Everything Everywhere, O2, Vodafone, Three and other broadband providers - will now take place in early 2013.
When the spectrum is allocated, the service providers will be able to offer faster mobile broadband services and also increased coverage in remote areas of the UK.
This should help businesses further capitalise on the opportunities afforded by smartphones, media tablets, laptops and other mobile devices.
With wider mobile broadband coverage, mobile internet users should be able to access the web in more locations, maximising their flexibility to choose where they work.
This could allow more people to do productive work on the way home, while travelling to business meetings and even while on holiday.
3G mobile broadband services have improved in terms of speed, coverage and reliability in recent years, but the mobile device boom is putting networks under increasing strain.
And the launch of 4G services is seen as being the way to alleviate this pressure on operators, while empowering consumers and businesspeople to make the most of the mobile internet.
Posted by Alex Boardman