CK Hutchison is “lobbying very hard” to secure spectrum and expand its 3 UK unit, revealed finance director Frank Sixt, as the company looks to move on from its failed proposed merger with Telefonica’s O2.

Sixt, speaking to Bloomberg, said CK Hutchison’s 3 UK will continue to be a major competitor in the UK market, and is focused on acquiring much needed airwaves.

His comments follow calls by the company’s CEO David Dyson last month for a 30 per cent cap to be imposed on the amount of spectrum one operator can hold in the country’s mobile market, taking aim at market leader BT, which acquired EE earlier this year.

Currently, BT/EE owns 42 per cent of available UK spectrum, and 3 UK holds 15 per cent.

CK Hutchison’s UK ambitions were dealt a major blow after EU regulators blocked its proposed deal to merge 3 UK with O2 UK in May, a tie up that would have created the UK’s largest operator.

Three months later, the company launched an appeal against the decision, which the European Commission (EC) made on competition grounds, as the deal would have shrunk the market from four to three players, among other factors.

However, according to Sixt’s latest comments, it appears the company has begrudgingly accepted the EC’s stance.

“I don’t think that was the right conclusion but it was the conclusion drawn by competition authorities,” said Sixt. “I don’t think there’s any ability to effectively reverse the competition decision.”