Feathers are flying again over the planned distribution of UK LTE bandwidth, after Vodafone accused the regulator Ofcom of “taking leave of its senses” for allowing Everything Everywhere to use existing spectrum to run 4G services.
Everything Everywhere, the joint venture between T-Mobile and Orange, was given permission last week by Ofcom to operate LTE services on the 1,800 MHz band previously used for 2G mobile services.
Although the decision remains subject to consultation, Vodafone CEO Guy Laurence told the Sunday Times that the regulator’s move gives Everything Everywhere an unfair head start on the next generation of mobile internet services.
Operators including Vodafone have until Thursday 22 March to file a formal complaint, and it is understood that Three is also preparing a formal response to the decision.
This dispute is the latest episode in a longer process that has seen the auction of LTE frequencies delayed multiple times, leaving the UK behind many other European countries in rolling out 4G services.
It is easy to understand Vodafone’s frustration. If Ofcom’s permission stands, Everything Everywhere could enable two of the market’s largest operators to launch 4G services in the UK before the end of the year, while rival companies wait for the official — and repeatedly delayed — release of LTE spectrum.
Critics, including Guy Laurence, have suggested that Orange and T-Mobile might use the head start to try to delay the upcoming spectrum auction, currently scheduled for early next year, through litigation or other tactics, effectively preventing competitors from launching 4G services while they consolidate their advantage.
Such a scenario would be unfair and would rightly provoke complaints from operators eager to deliver faster mobile internet to consumers. At the same time, some observers note that much of the anger may stem from rivals simply not being in a position to take the same shortcut themselves.