Regional wireless broadband provider Connexin pulled out of next week’s spectrum auction for bands earmarked for 5G in the UK.

The company was one of six Ofcom confirmed will participate in the sale after the final deadline for withdrawal elapsed. The other bidders are the parent companies of existing operators EE, O2 UK, Vodafone UK and 3 UK, as well as Airspan Spectrum Holdings – a venture backed by Japanese conglomerate SoftBank.

However, the regulator issued a statement today (16 March) noting Connexin is no longer participating in the auction.

The company hadn’t updated it website since posting about being approved by Ofcom for the auction.

The five remaining bidders will compete on 20 March for 40MHz of spectrum in the 2.3GHz band – available for LTE use – and 150MHz of 3.4GHz spectrum intended to support the country’s 5G service.