Six service providers have been approved to take part in an auction which will pave the way for the rollout of 5G.
Ofcom is releasing more airwaves in a "spectrum auction", improving broadband and opening the UK up for 5G.
Airspan, EE, Connexin, Hutchison 3G, Telefónica UK, and Vodafone have now been approved as qualified applicants for the auction.
This means the six companies have had their application approved by Ofcom, and now have three days to confirm whether to take part.
This next stage in the process comes hot on the heels of a ruling against Three's challenge to the auction's rules.
Following the delay, Ofcom has now vowed to get on with the process.
“We’re pressing ahead with the auction to make these airwaves available as quickly as possible," said Philip Marnick, Ofcom’s spectrum group director.
"This will benefit today’s mobile users by providing more capacity for mobile broadband use. It will also pave the way for 5G – allowing operators to launch the next generation of mobile technology.”
The auction will include 40 MHz of 2.3 GHz band, which is already supported by existing devices, and 150 MHz of 3.4 GHz band which will allow 5G to be rolled out.
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CityAM
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