Ofcom's Statement

Ofcom's Spectrum Plan did not include the band 2500-2690 MHz (the 2.6 GHz band) even though the band is highly suitable for wireless cameras and is currently used for this application. The band was not included in Ofcom's Spectrum Plan because of plans to make the band available for commercial use within the timescale of the London 2012 Games. At the time we published the Spectrum Plan we therefore judged the opportunity cost of reserving this spectrum for the Games to be high.

The Government's plans for an award process have now been clarified, and the award of these frequencies is now expected at the end of 2011. In addition, an upgrade programme to radars at 2.7 GHz is required to permit widespread deployment of mobile or broadband services at 2.6 GHz, and this programme is unlikely to be complete before the end of 2012. We therefore believe that the opportunity cost of reserving this band for the London 2012 Games has reduced significantly.

There appears little realistic prospect of using 2.6 GHz to deploy new mobile or broadband data services widely to UK citizens and consumers before the Games; and not reserving the band for the London 2012 Games, in the absence of any significant deployment of new mobile or broadband data services, could be a serious loss to the broadcasting coverage of the Games and to citizens and consumers in the UK and world-wide.