Awards programme approach

The spectrum award programme is a key part of implementing Ofcom’s more market based approach to spectrum management. It complements the policies of spectrum trading and liberalisation.

Ofcom’s approach is generally to release spectrum to the market as quickly as possible, consistent with an orderly process.

Ofcom’s objectives for the awards are assessed case by case. However its general approach is to prepare an award, including determining the timing for release, spectrum packaging and auction design, in a way which is most likely to secure the optimal use of the spectrum bands to be awarded and the radio spectrum more generally, taking into account in particular:

• competition in the provision of electronic communication services;
• development of innovative services;
• economic and other benefits that may arise from use of the spectrum;
• efficient management and use of the spectrum.

Ofcom's general approach is to give the market as much flexibility as possible to determine how the spectrum is used, without pre-determining the technologies or applications that may be used, while protecting neighbouring users from harmful interference. Ofcom’s award programme and its approach to spectrum management more generally are discussed in the Spectrum Framework Review: Implementation plan (Published 13|01|05) and the Interim Statement on SFR:IP (Published 28|07|05), and the Spectrum Framework Review consultation (Published 23|11|04) and statement (Published 28|06|05).