Ofcom has delayed its decision to formally approve Everything Everywhere (EE)’s request to use its existing spectrum for 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) services.
The regulatory authority gave its preliminary approval to the plans earlier this month, but has decided to grant EE’s competitors extra time to respond.
The move caught many by surprise, with Vodafone, Three and O2 voicing their concerns that one operator would effectively get a head start before the auction for 4G spectrum takes place.
Speaking at the Westminster eForum yesterday, Three CEO Dave Dyson refused to rule out legal action over the issue, saying that just because EE had the spectrum shouldn’t mean they are allowed to use it for 4G. He said the company would wait for Ofcom’s response before considering its next move.
The news further complicates the long and much-delayed process of bringing 4G services to the UK. The auction of 4G spectrum has been persistently delayed due to legal action and technical issues, and is now not expected to take place until later this year, prompting Ofcom to warn that LTE networks may not be available for another four years.
Ofcom announced it was going to hold a second consultation into the process and its most recent proposals suggested EE would not have spectrum reserved, as had been previously indicated.
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If EE want to lauach 4G early than thats good for the country, but surely its a competitive advantage. So to keep all happy why dont Ofcom allow the refarming but force EE to allow roaming on its 4G network from all other operators, until the aution is sorted and takes place, this may even take some pressure of the auction process as well, then no one has an advantage.