In the US there's been a lot of talk about Google bidding for space on the wireless spectrum - and in Britain, things are also hotting up as regulator Ofcom today announced that it would be auctioning off the spectrum which will be made available through the move to digital TV.
The so-called "digital dividend" will result in a swath of the airwaves being sold off to the highest bidder, Ofcom's bosses said in their official statement:
In light of all the evidence available, we have concluded that we should take a market led approach to awarding the digital dividend.
This means that, with one important exception, we will auction the spectrum in a way that allows users to decide how the spectrum should be used and creates the maximum flexibility and opportunities for different technologies and services.
That exception is to leave gaps on the spectrum for wireless microphones, mainly for for program-making and special events. But they also decided to sell the whole of the available spectrum, rather than keep some to one side as an "innovation reserve". I wonder whether that decision will pay off in the long run, or be seen as short-sighted in 10 years when people are desperate for spectrum for a use we haven't yet foreseen.
So the big question is who's going to get involved and what for? It would be great to see ubiquitous wireless internet grabbing space on the airwaves, but there are plenty of other possibilities available.
The one thing that is certain is that everybody will be desperate to keep prices down at the auction. Last time this sort of thing took place, with third generation mobile, the phone operators massively overpaid by splashing out more than £20bn on 3G licenses (a mistake that customers are still paying for today).
