The UK government has been forced to delay the sale of mobile broadband spectrum with the original auction deadline of 2007 now a distant memory. The auction of the 2.6 GHz spectrum has now been delayed until 2011 with the proposed merger of T Mobile UK and Orange UK the latest in a long line of excuses for the various delays.
The UK government had hoped to be one of the first countries to introduce LTE and WiMax mobile broadband technology but the longer the saga continues the more chance that competitors will steal a march. There is even concern that the government could further delay the 2011 deadline as we approach the next general election, which could see a change in government and a change in broadband and technology policies.
Despite the fact that various issues and various problems have been used to justify the delays, it is common knowledge that mobile broadband companies are unwilling in some cases to give up previously acquired spectrum for the new services. British Telecom is one company which has threatened to take the UK government to court and which has become something of a thorn in the side of the authorities.