Will the spectrum goal posts move in operators’ favour?
The competition in wireless service provision is as fierce as ever. To make matters worse, it looks like the rules of engagement might soon change. With Dell, Microsoft and Google’s recent interest in the use of TV white spaces for broadband access, the cellular operator’s competitive advantage of a high-value spectrum licence may not last. The challenge for cellular operators is to stay ahead of this new group of competitors. If there are benefits to be had from changes in the regulatory environment and from the dynamic spectrum access technologies this encourages, cellular operators need to ensure that they rather than their new competition are the first to benefit. How do cellular operators remain competitive in a changing spectrum environment? Cellular operators have paid a high price for the relatively small amount of spectrum made available to their industry. Only a small proportion of spectrum is assigned to cellular services and as a result competition for it is high. The £22bn
