Ofcom is preparing to auction a substantial portion of millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum aimed at addressing slow 5G performance in crowded urban areas and busy public venues.
The bidding opens on 16–17 September 2025, when the UK telecoms regulator will release a large allocation of mmWave spectrum. Think of this as creating a broad, multi-lane data corridor intended to relieve congestion where mobile networks experience the heaviest demand.
Ofcom says this is the largest amount it has ever offered in a single auction: 5.4 GHz of spectrum across the 26 GHz and 40 GHz bands. The goal is to unlock more of 5G’s potential by boosting capacity and delivering much faster speeds in the places that need them most.
Fixing slow and unreliable 5G connections across Europe
This development is significant beyond the UK’s borders. Luke Kehoe, an analyst at network intelligence firm Ookla, describes the auction as a sign that European interest in mmWave is returning after a period of disappointment.
Ofcom’s licensing strategy aims to simplify deployment. Instead of issuing licences for individual towns, a single licence will cover 68 of the UK’s most data-intensive cities and transport hubs. That approach is expected to make it easier for national neutral-host operators and multi-venue providers to roll out services across many sites efficiently.
However, the technology is intended for targeted, high-demand locations rather than nationwide coverage. Even in markets that have moved faster with mmWave, deployments remain highly local, with mobile network operators activating individual venues and running site-specific pilots.
In practical terms, mmWave will address specific problem spots—delivering multi-gigabit speeds at places such as stadiums, densely packed shopping centers, or major airport terminals—rather than acting as a blanket upgrade for rural or suburban areas.
The catch after the mmWave 5G auction? Your phone probably isn’t ready
There is a major limitation to widespread consumer benefit: device compatibility. Many phones sold in Europe lack mmWave radios, which restricts who can take advantage of the new spectrum.
Kehoe highlights that Europe-sold iPhones typically do not include mmWave support, and most Android models available in the region also omit it. In other words, the network highways are being built but relatively few devices are currently equipped to use them.
Because of that mismatch, early adoption is likely to focus on customer-premises equipment (CPE), enterprise deployments with Wi‑Fi or Ethernet distribution, and managed device fleets rather than immediate mass-market smartphone use.
By holding this auction now, Ofcom is laying the groundwork so the infrastructure will be ready when devices catch up. As handset manufacturers add mmWave support to more models and broader device availability improves, these high-capacity networks will be able to deliver markedly better performance in crowded venues.
The coming auction will reveal which operators and providers plan to invest in mmWave rollouts, and how quickly the UK can overcome persistent slow-5G hotspots.
See also: On-premise edge and private 5G key to industrial AI and security
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