Clearance of the airwaves earmarked for 4G mobile broadband will be completed by regulators today, enabling new 4G services to launch in the UK.
Communications regulator Ofcom said that a large section of radio spectrum previously used for broadcasting digital TV channels and by wireless audio devices, such as wireless microphones, is being released for 4G.
The clearance has been achieved after a combination of 600 television transmitter upgrades by engineers and retuning of TV receivers carried out by viewers around the UK was completed, marking the end of a four year process. Wireless microphones will now also use alternative frequencies.
The final TV retune will be completed today by Freeview viewers in northern Scotland, and this will mean that the airwaves will be cleared five months ahead of schedule, Ofcom said.
The TV signal frequency sits within the 800MHz band, which Vodafone, Three and O2 have won spectrum for.
Vodafone said it was expecting to roll out 4G services by “the end of the summer”, and O2 has indicated that it will also launch its 4G service by September. Three has said it would launch 4G at some point in the last quarter of 2013.
