Ofcom has approved a proposal by Everything Everywhere, which operates under the Orange and T-Mobile brands, to re-use 1800MHz 2G spectrum for its LTE services.
Competitors O2, Three, and Vodafone have until 17 April to register their objections, according to GigaOm. If Ofcom rejects those, Everything Everywhere is expected to launch a small-scale LTE service later this year.
An auction for the 800MHz and 2600MHz spectra will take place later this year and Everything Everywhere, along with O2, Vodafone, and Three, is expected to bid.
The UK is behind much of Europe, along with North America and Asia in its rollout of LTE services. The auction has been delayed several times, and even when it is complete, the carriers will have to wait for the 800MHz spectrum, currently used for analogue TV broadcasts, to be cleared before they can use it.
Even when the UK’s networks make LTE available to customers, it will be incompatible with Apple’s new iPad and many other LTE mobile devices. The iPad operates on the 700MHz and 2100MHz spectra and won’t work on 800MHz, 1800MHz, or 2600MHz.
