UK military to release 200 MHz of spectrum

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is preparing to release around 200 MHz of radio spectrum to the communications regulator Ofcom so that it can be made available for commercial use. The spectrum to be released is all below 15 GHz.

Demand for additional spectrum is currently high, fuelled by the needs of consumers to access video and data-hungry applications on their smartphones and tablets. The spectrum being released can help meet this demand by supporting the expansion of fourth-generation (4G) mobile services to more people in cities, towns and villages across the UK. Both business and domestic users will benefit from faster speeds, better coverage and much improved reliability.

4G networks and future innovations in mobile technology are all expected to make significant contributions to UK economic growth.

Earlier this year, Ofcom completed the auction of 250 MHz of spectrum for 4G mobile broadband services and since late 2012 has been providing technical and regulatory support to assist the MoD’s release plans.

Ofcom intends to release the spectrum to the market in 2015/16. In a 2012 report, Analysys Mason estimated that spectrum use is worth more than £50bn to the UK economy, an increase of 25% in real terms since 2006.