Industry news

Ofcom delays broadband decision

Ofcom's chief has admitted its broadband wireless plans will have to go back to consultation, it has been reported.

The regulator has been forced to re-open consultations over its ambitious plans to change the mobile phone market in a move that would have brought broadband to a greater UK population, according to the Guardian.

Last year it made proposals to re-farm more than a third of the old second generation mobile phone spectrum – used by Vodafone and O2 for the past 22 years – and sell it to rival firms to run 3G services.

Ed Richards made the admission yesterday in his evidence to a joint meeting of the Commons culture, media and sport, and the business and enterprise committees.

He admitted he was due to make a statement this summer but due to the number of responses to his initial plans it was likely to be later.

The newspaper added that a number of mobile phone firms had pushed for a delay in the sale of the wireless spectrum that will become free when existing analogue TV signals are switched off in 2012.

According to the BBC, the analogue TV switch-off began in the Cumbrian town of Whitehaven on October 17th 2007.