Ofcom Website | Auction of spectrum 1781.7-1785 MHz paired with 1876.7-1880 MHz - Information memorandum

Ofcom Website | Auction of spectrum 1781.7-1785 MHz paired with 1876.7-1880 MHz - Information memorandum

Ofcom has released the final documents for the auction of what was known as the GSM guard-bands. There will be anywhere between 7 and 12 depending on how the auction goes.

Though only allowing 16 channels of GSM voice, they can actually be used for anything as long as the radio equipment meets the Ofcom output regulations, so they could be used for wireless broadband.

Ofcom have even made provision for upping the power levels for specific sites (they state areas such as tunnels, basements and airports) [with the agreement of other licensees] which might give a clue to who will bid for some of the licenses.

If a licensee rolls out a GSM service, they'll have to get some kind of roaming or issue their own phones/SIMs which might not prove cost-effective, though for areas where current GSM service is not available they could target specific niche markets.