Ofcom announces UK 5G 2021 spectrum auction results

On 27 April 2021, Ofcom announced the final results of the UK’s 2021 5G (700 MHz and 3.6-3.8 GHz bands) spectrum auction. The auction raised £1.379 bn pounds, only slightly higher than the £1.1bn reserve price.

Results

At the end of the assignment stage (27 April 2021), Ofcom granted the following UK spectrum licences:

Auction stages

The auction had a number of stages:

  • the principal bidding stage, which determined the amount of spectrum each bidder secured
  • the subsequent assignment stage, which allowed companies to bid for specific frequency positions (which increases utility and efficiency of spectrum use)
  • a further negotiation period (which starts now that the assignment stage has finished) which allows successful bidders to negotiate further spectrum trades

Next steps

The winning bidders now have the opportunity to negotiate further spectrum trades, which will then need to be formally notified to Ofcom.