Network operators pay £13m each for 5G spectrum in Ofcom auction

Ofcom has raised £39 million for the Treasury from its latest spectrum auction, designed to boost 5G capacity in the UK’s busiest areas. 

EE, O2, and Vodafone submitted bids for available lots to determine their share of the spectrum. Each operator secured 800 MHz in the 26 GHz band and 1 GHz in the 40 GHz band, paying £13 million each, bringing the total revenue raised to £39 million.

A total of 5.4 GHz of spectrum was made available to enable faster, more reliable mobile services in high-demand locations such as football stadiums, major concert venues, and transport hubs, and can be deployed in 68 towns and cities.

The process will now move to the Assignment Stage, where operators will bid for their preferred frequency positions within the bands they have won. Ofcom will publish the final results, including specific frequency allocations and total payments, once all stages are complete.

David Willis, Ofcom’s Group Director for Spectrum, said: “Today’s results are an important milestone on the path to better, faster 5G. The large amount of spectrum we’ve released will help support innovation, open doors to new applications and growth, and can bring noticeable improvements to mobile services in busier places up and down the UK.”

“The release of this spectrum marks a significant step in expanding 5G infrastructure and capacity, helping operators meet growing data demand and enabling new use cases such as immersive experiences, connected transport, and next-generation industrial applications.”