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  • Ofcom releases 2012/13 plan: no UK 4G until you've eaten your vegetables

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    12.10.2011

    UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has released its draft plans for 2012/13 with big changes ahead for nerds on this side of the Atlantic. The auctioning off of the 800MHz and 2.6GHz spectrums for 4G internet is coming as soon as the British FCC has booted off the remaining TV services that still use 'em. It's gonna open an online complaints site (for when the Saturday evening show of your choice offends you), crack down on slow broadband speeds and keep the airways clear for the Olympic Games. Nearly 16 percent of Scotland and five percent of Wales has non-existent mobile coverage, something Ofcom's pledging to fix. TV-on-demand content also better keep its nose clean over the next 18 months -- it'll be getting the same level of government scrutiny that standard broadcasts receive. Rather wisely, the paper buries the real bad news: it looks like there won't be nationwide 4G mobile internet until 2015 -- so you win this round, America.