Ofcom: UK 4G spectrum bidding starts in January with £1.3 billion reserve

While Orange and T-Mobile love child EE has been doling out 4G to its clients for a bit now, rivals like O2 and Vodafone have been waiting for the chance just to bid on spectrum. Ofcom just announced tentative dates for the process, along with a combined minimum price of £1.3 billion -- after saying earlier that the delay was the carriers' own fault. Operators will submit their applications by December 11th, start bidding in early January and be informed if they were successful or not by March. Fees will then be paid and licenses granted, and Ofcom figures that 4G services will start to roll out from the successful bidders between May and June of next year. You'll then be able to enjoy five to seven times the speed of your current connection -- provided you haven't already jumped ship, of course.