Qualcomm says it will sell its L-band spectrum in the U.K. following developments in terms of its potential use for supplemental downlink (SDL) to boost 4G capacity.
The European Commission mandated the use of the L band, covering 1452 MHz-1492 MHz, for mobile broadband, particularly SDL, last month. Furthermore, U.K. regulator Ofcom then agreed to vary the terms of Qualcomm’s licence to enable the spectrum held by its Qualcomm UK Spectrum (QUKS) unit to be used for SDL.
As such, " QUKS now plans to offer its spectrum for sale," the chip maker said in a comment emailed to Total Telecom.
QUKS holds 40 MHz of nationwide spectrum in the 1452 MHz-1492 MHz band, having paid £8.34 million for the frequencies in 2008.
The variation in the terms of its licence means that Qualcomm can now look to monetise that spectrum.
The firm said that it "believes that SDL can be key to meet the increase of 4G mobile data traffic globally that is downlink centric."
SDL essentially enables operators to create an additional downlink-only channel to boost data speeds for mobile broadband users.
The spectrum would doubtless appeal to any of the U.K.’s mobile operators, althou gh Qualcomm has given no indication that it is in negotiations with any particular telco.
