Ofcom to Revoke All Licences for Unpaired 2100MHz UK Mobile Band by 2029

Ofcom has just confirmed that they will revoke the current mobile operator licences – held by EE (BT), Three UK and O2 (Virgin Media) – for the unpaired part of the 2100MHz band (1899.9 – 1920MHz) by 3rd April 2029, which was originally auctioned off in April 2000 to support the rollout of 3G mobile (mobile broadband) networks.

All four of the major mobile network operators (inc. Vodafone) already make use of paired radio spectrum in the 2100MHz band (see below). But today’s update on Ofcom’s plan from last year concerns the smaller 20MHz frequency slice of unpaired spectrum in that same band.

The unpaired part is currently largely unused and the operators don’t have any plans to deploy higher-power services in the spectrum, which is largely due to the lack of a supportive ecosystem, as well as the need for a guard band against paired spectrum (used to reduce the risk of interference) and the limited bandwidth it offers. But this approach also contributes to a reduction in an already limited pot of spectrum.

The regulator is naturally seeking optimal use of the unpaired 2100MHz spectrum, which at the end of 2023 resulted in their decision to revoke all of the existing licences. Ofcom believes the spectrum due to be freed could be better used by the emergency services, railways or the utilities sector (the latter has a spectrum requirement for a secure wireless network).

Ofcom has now confirmed this move and formally given five years’ notice to the operators, which means the revocations will take effect on 3rd April 2029.