The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), the body leading development of next-generation Wi-Fi services, commends the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) for their spectrum designation of the entire 6 GHz band (5.925-7.125 GHz) for licence-exempt use. Saudi Arabia is the first country in the Middle East, Europe, or Africa to designate […]

UK comms regulator Ofcom has confirmed that the spectrum auction for the 700 MHz and 3.6-3.8 GHz bands aimed at releasing more airwaves to improve mobile services and support 5G will now move to the negotiation period. Ofcom announced the results of the principal stage of the auction on March 17th. This set out how […]

The Federal Communications Commission is making valuable mid-band spectrum in the 3.45-3.55 GHz band available for auction to facilitate 5G deployment across the contiguous United States. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 required the Commission to commence a system of competitive bidding for licences in the 3.45-3.55 GHz band by the end of 2021. The […]

UK comms regulator Ofcom has announced the outcome of the principal stage of its auction to release more airwaves to improve mobile services and support 5G. A total of 200 MHz of spectrum was available to bid for in the auction, split across two bands: 80 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band. These airwaves […]

Mobile operators will begin bidding in the UK’s next spectrum auction from Friday March 12th, comms regulator Ofcom has confirmed. A total of 200 MHz of spectrum is being released through the auction, which will help improve existing mobile services and also support the continued rollout of 5G across the UK. After a pause in […]

South Africa has postponed its spectrum auction yet again. This time the reason was a legal objection from the telco provider, Telkom, and broadcaster, e.tv, who secured a ruling from the nation’s high court to pause the auction. Judge Selby Baqwa has now placed an interdict on regulator ICASA. The auction was supposed to happen […]

A year on from the £1 billion (€1.17bn) Shared Rural Network (SRN) agreement being signed, wireless telecommunications infrastructure company Shared Access says it is ready to help mobile network operators increase 4G coverage in rural areas to meet government targets – and increase access to grassroots sport at the same time. As an independent owner […]

The US’s Federal Communications Commission has announced the winning bidders and the final bid totals in Auction 107 – commonly referred to as the C-band auction. Net winning bids totalled $81,114,481,921 (€66.48bn) and gross winning bids totalled $81,168,677,645 . Twenty-one bidders won all of the available 5,684 licences. “It is essential to America’s economic recovery […]

FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has shared with her colleagues a draft Order that would make much-needed mid-band spectrum available for 5G. If adopted at the Commission’s March 17th Open Meeting, 100 megahertz of mid-band spectrum in the 3.45-3.55 GHz band would be made available for auction and 5G deployment across the contiguous US. The […]

South Africa’s telecommunications regulator ICASA is facing criticism for not releasing the names of bidders who have qualified to participate in the nation’s 5G spectrum auction. ICASA had planned to release the names on February 22nd but then delayed the publication for a month, until March 23rd. The reason given was that there had been […]