Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what measures her Department is taking to ensure that all mobile phone operators have sufficient spectrum to meet future demands for mobile data; and what steps her Department is taking to prevent a dominant company controlling the market on spectrum availability.

Matt Hancock

All mobile network operators face rapidly growing demand for data, and need spectrum to meet that demand. Since 2010 the Government has made 384 MHz of spectrum used by the public sector available for private sector use, including 190 MHz of spectrum suitable for mobile data. This mobile spectrum is being assigned by Ofcom through an auction; a consultation on the auction rules is expected soon.

Ofcom’s duties include the promotion of competition and efficient use of spectrum, and it has indicated that it remains committed to the principle of a four-operator UK market – and therefore to four operators with sufficient spectrum to be credible. The Government therefore believes that Ofcom will set rules that ensure serious bidders approaching the forthcoming auction with realistic valuations of the scarce spectrum on offer can obtain the spectrum they need.

In the next 3-5 years the government and Ofcom will provide additional spectrum for mobile data including the 700 MHz band.