Britain is facing another third generation (3G) mobile phone spectrum auction within two years, after the telecoms regulator Ofcom unveiled plans to take back some of Vodafone and 02’s slices of the airwaves and re-sell them.

The auction could come as early as 2009 although it would not be expected to fetch anything like as much as the £22.5bn the Government raised in 2000 by selling five third generation licences.

Ofcom wants the two network operators to cede some of the spectrum they use for second generation (2G) services such as voice calls and texts and invite other networks and new entrants to bid for it.

Posted: 09|21|07 at 7:01 am. Filed under: UK News.