The U.K. Office of Communications Friday proposed to allow 4G...

for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System and 3G in the 900 MHz band. Liberalizing all mobile licenses in the 900, 1800 and 2100 MHz bands would align the permitted technologies across all mobile spectrum licenses, including existing ones in the bands and those now being auctioned in the 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz bands, Ofcom said. That would meet a long-standing goal to lower regulatory barriers to rollout of the latest available mobile technology, it said in a consultation document (http://xrl.us/bod52y). Comments are due March 29. Ofcom’s decision to allow 4G in the bands “will on the whole be welcomed by operators and is fully in-line with others countries and Ofcom’s commitment to removing the previous command and control approach to spectrum policy,” Ovum analyst Matthew Howett said in an email. However, even if operators are allowed to deploy 4G in bands previously restricted to 2G and 3G, most are unlikely to do so in the short run, he said. The bands first need to be cleared of existing use through a refarming process that will probably take years, he said. Spectrum currently being auctioned will most likely be used for Vodafone, O2 and Three’s initial 4G deployment, he said. Ofcom’s earlier attempts to liberalize the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands for 3G were “famously met with fierce opposition” from some parts of the industry since at one point it implied taking back spectrum from some operators and redistributing it to others to more fairly distribute the benefits from refarming, he said. Updating license conditions to allow for technological neutrality is a positive move because it lets spectrum holders decide its real economic value and the best way to use it, he said.