Ofcom has announced that Broadband Fixed Wireless Access (BFWA) ISPs that make use of the 28GHz radio spectrum band, such as Urban Wimax and Cable & Wireless UK, will now be able to keep the licence “indefinitely” (i.e. they were due to expire on 31st December 2015) but there will be a cost.
It’s understood that related ISPs will also, from January 2016, be subject to “administered incentive pricing per geographic region“. The rate for this has yet to be set and will be decided as part of the regulators on-going review into fixed link bands.
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Ofcoms Statement
We have considered carefully the responses received and have concluded, in light of our duties and for the reasons set out in this Statement, that it is appropriate to vary the licences held by Urban Wimax Limited and Cable & Wireless UK by extending them so that they become of indefinite duration.
We consider that this variation will provide licence holders with clarity of spectrum tenure/use beyond 2015 and should remove the main obstacle to investment, development and use of the spectrum in the meantime. We also consider that this approach is a more proportionate and cost effective process by which to promote the optimal future use of the spectrum.
Ofcom added that it would also offer the variation, upon request, to other BFWA licence holders like UK Broadband (PCCW), which has already indicated an intent to make such a request.
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