What does the Ofcom 5G auction mean for the UK mobile industry?

The long-awaited auction is over, paving the way for 5G.

After months, years even, of speculation and legal action, the first phase of Ofcom’s 5G spectrum auction is finally over.

The £1.4 billion raised for the treasury was a tiny fraction of the gargantuan sums generated by the infamous 3G auction of 2000, and less than the £2.3 billion paid in the 2013 sale, but this was still more than initial estimates.

It appears as though all stakeholders will be happy with the result – despite the courtroom drama that preceded the process. But what does it mean for the UK market?

O2 gets more capacity

O2 perhaps had the most to lose at this auction. In 2013, it won 20MHz of 800MHz spectrum that would form the basis of its 4G network, but none of the 2.6GHz airwaves up for grabs. The former band offers long range, but lacks the capacity of 2.6GHz, meaning O2 was at a potential disadvantage when it came to densifying networks in urban areas.

By Steve McCaskill.
Full story at at Tech Radar.