The UK regulator said the transaction will not create asymmetries in the market
UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has approved the transfer of Qualcomm’s L-band spectrum to local mobile telephony operators Vodafone and 3UK.
In August, Qualcomm’s subsidiary Qualcomm UK Spectrum (QUKS) agreed to sell the entirety of its UK L-Band spectrum (1452 MHz – 1492 MHz) in two separate transactions. Under a transaction between QUKS and Vodafone UK, Vodafone agreed to purchase 20 MHz of the spectrum. Under a separate transaction between QUKS and Hutchinson 3G UK Limited (H3G), H3G agreed to purchase 20 MHz of the spectrum.
The financial details of the transactions were not revealed.
“We do not consider that either of the proposed transfers raises sufficient competition issues to justify further analysis,” Ofcom said. The regulators said that the decision was adopted after conducting an analysis of the two proposed deals.
The regulatory body added that these transactions will not create asymmetries in terms of spectrum allocation as both operators will still have less mobile spectrum than rival telco EE.
Ofcom also affirmed that Vodafone will take ownership of the 1542 MHz-1772 MHz frequencies while 3UK will get the 1472 MHz-1492 MHz frequencies.
In May 2015, the European Union said that the L-band could be used by mobile operators as supplemental downlink (SDL) to boost 4G capacity.
Russia’s four main mobile providers to take part in spectrum auction
In related EMEA news, the four main telecoms operators in Russia will take part in an auction to obtain mobile spectrum in the 1800 MHz band.
According to the local telecoms regulator Roskomnazdor, local telcos Vimpelcom, MegaFon, MTS and Tele2 are qualified to participate in the process, which is scheduled for next week.
The regulator also said that the auction will be carried out electronically. The Russian government will auction spectrum in nine regions across the country. The available spectrum will be auctioned in ten different lots.The regulator had not introduced any restrictions in the use of the 1800 MHz band. However, the Russian authorities have said that they expect the new spectrum will be used for the provision of 4G LTE services in these nine regions.
