The Financial Times said that Microsoft is set to lead a UK consortium trialling the use of “white space” spectrum to deliver mobile broadband services, with other participants including the BBC, BT, Nokia, Samsung and media company BSB. The companies will explore the use of frequencies in the 470MHz–790MHz range, which has been set aside for digital terrestrial television services, but which is not fully being used by broadcasters. It was noted that the low frequency range of the spectrum in the trial will enable networks to cover larger areas than alternatives, such as LTE and Wi-Fi. The paper also reported that Microsoft has held discussions in Japan and Singapore about the use of white space for mobile services, while the US regulators have also stated their support for such technology.

The FT said that one of the most important requirements of the UK trial will be to demonstrate to regulator Ofcom that mobile broadband services will not interfere with television transmissions. The watchdog has previously detailed proposals to address interference between 800MHz LTE networks and broadcast services, stating that the mobile operators should cover the “majority” of the associated costs.  It has been suggested that a white space network would include a frequency database which would define the spectrum available for mobile services, in order to remove the potential for interference.