There have already been multiple auctions where the UK’s networks have gained access to various 5G frequencies, but we’re not done yet, because Ofcom has now announced plans to auction off 25MHz of spectrum in the 1.4GHz band.
Specifically, Ofcom plans to auction the ‘upper block’ of this band, comprising 1,492MHz to 1,517MHz. All of the UK’s major networks – meaning EE, O2, and the newly combined entity of Vodafone and Three – will be free to bid without restrictions.
VodafoneThree actually already has access to the lower part of the 1.4GHz band, covering 1452MHz to 1492MHz, so they might be keen to extend their holdings with the next part of the band.
In any case, an exact date for the auction hasn’t yet been set, but it will be held sometime in the first half of 2027.
Whichever network(s) come away with some 1.4GHz spectrum will probably use it for some combination of 4G and 5G, with this band being a middle ground between the very high frequency spectrum we tend to see used for 5G, and the lower frequency bands often used for 4G. As such, it’s well-suited to covering both rural and urban locations, as it can deliver a decent amount of coverage without sacrificing too much speed.
A problem for planes
One interesting wrinkle in Ofcom’s plan though is that the lower part of the 1.5GHz band – covering 1517MHz to 1559MHz – is being used by Inmarsat‘s emergency communication satellite terminals. Those are used by ships near ports and planes near airports, so there’s a worry that mobile networks using the spectrum below this could cause dangerous interference.
As a result, Ofcom won’t allow any of this auctioned spectrum to be used before 11 June 2027, to give airports and ports time to “implement mitigation measures”. On top of that, there will be “limits on mobile transmissions around the coastline and at certain international airports”, with those limits remaining until 2034 for airports and 2043 around the coastline.
But none of this is likely to affect end users directly. Rather, this auction should be good news, as it could further improve 5G coverage and potentially speeds.
