UK mobile phone operators have been summoned to a
meeting with communications ministerLord Carterthis week to resolve a row
threatening to derailplans for universal broadband internet accessby 2012.
Kip Meek, a former senior official at telecoms regulator Ofcom,
has been tasked with resolving the mobile operators' dispute over
sharing radio spectrum by May, according to the
Financial Times.
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The government's plans for universal broadband rely on the
mobile operators providing wireless internet access in remote
areas, but this is not possible until the spectrum dispute is
resolved.
Carter has said the government will support an "imposed
solution" to the spectrum dispute if an industry-led compromise is
not agreed by the end of April.
Ofcom is drawing up another proposal on the matter after O2 and
Vodafone rejected a 2007 proposal for them to give up some of their
spectrum to be auctioned off to competitors.
The 2007 proposal focused on the 900MHz spectrum, which is
ideally suited for providing wireless internet access to people in
remote areas.
An industry-led compromise is likely to involve O2 and Vodafone
exchanging some of their 900MHz spectrum for 1800 MHz spectrum with
rivals Orange and T-Mobile.