800MHz band cleared by Digital UK - ready for nationwide 4G use

Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV 29th July 2013 at 12:43

See Two final Freeview retunes in Scotland on 24 and 31 July 2013 - 4G-at-800 for details of the final engineering works are carried out in north-east Scotland and the Western Isles (five months earlier than originally planned and costing £6 million, half the budget).

The Government's clearance programme that has been co-ordinated by Digital UK has moved signals at more than 270 transmitters, serving 25 % of UK homes.

Digital UK CEO Sir David Scott says "Thanks to our experiences from switchover and the tremendous work of engineers at Arqiva, clearance will be completed ahead of schedule and has seen minimal disruption to viewers. From the end of this month airwaves will be clear for more mobile operators to deliver super-fast mobile broadband across the UK."

Ofcom estimates 4G services will provide at least £20bn in benefits to UK consumers over the next ten years. New mobile services are expected to become available in some areas from this summer.

Maria Miller (British Culture Secretary) said: "Delivering 4G quickly is a key part of the Government’s plans to equip the UK to succeed in the global race. Completing the clearance of the 800MHz band means mobile companies can roll out their services across the UK and help deliver the £2-3 billion a year boost to the UK economy we anticipate from 4G.

"I am delighted the Government - working with Digital UK, mobile operators, TV broadcasters, and others – was able to agree to speed up the process for making this spectrum available."

More than two million people have used the Digital UK's advice line and website since the start of clearance: supporting viewers throughout the programme, providing local information and advice on retuning equipment to ensure viewers can continue to watch their favourite Freeview channels.