After opposition from UK networks including Vodafone, O2 and Three, Ofcom has held back on its decision to allow Orange and T-Mobile parent company Everything Everywhere early access and testing of the 4G mobile data network.
Back in February, Everything Everywhere proudly announced it would get first dibs on the lucrative 1800MHz 4G spectrum and will also command a large share of its coverage when it finally rolls out across the UK in full within the next two years. Of course, rival networks weren’t as pleased and this week during an eForum had the chance to sway the vote which was soon to be made final by regulating authority Ofcom.
The tantrum over the network allocation has been deemed as justifiable and Ofcom has heard the from all aggrieved parties including Three who’s CEO David Dyson’s comments included “In my opinion as the CEO of a mobile operator, a conclusion to the contrary would be irrational, questionable and unnecessarily risks future competition in the UK mobile market.”
Ofcom’s last word on the matter has now been pushed back to May 8th, when it’ll become known whether Orange and T-Mobile customers will be the first to benefit from the 4G network capabilities on a selection of upcoming super-fast devices.
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