QUALCOMM acquires L-band spectrum in UK auction

QUALCOMM has acquired 40MHz (1452MHz-1492MHz) of L-band radio spectrum at the recent auction by UK communications regulator Ofcom, the wireless technology developer announced last week.

While the company does intend to use the spectrum — purchased at a cost of GPB 8,334,000 (approximately USD 16,316,222) — to bring advanced wireless technologies to the UK market, it does not plan to run a mobile TV network like the one it has in the United States. According to several media reports, it plans instead to seek out technology partners for its MediaFLO mobile TV technology.

The spectrum license acquired by QUALCOMM covers the entire United Kingdom and is technology neutral, meaning any type of wireless service or technology could be launched with it. Thus far, QUALCOMM has only stated its intention to use the spectrum for “innovative technologies.” How these technologies will be manifested depends on the company’s “assessment of market needs in the United Kingdom.”

Some have speculated that this may be QUALCOMM’s last-ditch effort to establish a foothold for the MediaFLO technology in the European market. The European Commission dealt a significant blow to MediaFLO as well as other potential mobile TV technologies last year when it announced its backing of the DVB-H mobile TV standard.

For more information, visit www.qualcomm.com.