British spectrum auction to go ahead after legal challenge blocked

Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings

13/02/2018 17:36

LONDON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - British telecoms regulator Ofcom 
said on Tuesday it could proceed with the sale of new mobile 
airwaves after a London court denied operator Three permission 
to mount another legal challenge to the rules it had set for the 
auction. 
    Three, the smallest of Britain's four networks, and the 
biggest operator BT's  BT.L  EE had challenged the level of cap 
set by Ofcom on the amount any one operator can own, but both 
cases were rejected by the High Court in December.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N1OK2CS 
    "The Court of Appeal has very firmly rejected Three's 
application for permission to appeal on all grounds," an Ofcom 
spokesman said. 
    "We welcome this decision, and will now press ahead with 
releasing these important airwaves. This new capacity will allow 
mobile companies to offer more reliable reception, and to 
prepare for future 5G services."  
    Three, which is owned by Hutchison Telecommunications, 
wanted the cap set at 30 percent rather than the 37 percent set 
by Ofcom. 
 
 (Reporting by Paul Sandle; editing by Stephen Addison) 
 ((mailto:paul.sandle@thomsonreuters.com; +44 20 7542 6843; 
Reuters Messaging: 
rm://paul.sandle.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) 
 
Keywords: BRITAIN MOBILE/SPECTRUM