Ofcom needs to make spectrum usable for community 4G

By Blake, Lodestar Networks

I run Lodestar Networks on my own. I've got a working 4G network, and I want to expand the coverage across Nuneaton and Bedworth. What I'm finding increasingly difficult is getting access to spectrum that makes that possible with affordable equipment.

This is why I'm pushing Free the Spectrum. I need frequencies that work with radios I can buy, phones people already have and licence conditions that allow useful outdoor coverage.

At the moment, the options keep running into the same problems:

• Band 3: the shared 1800 MHz allocation has room for a 3 MHz LTE carrier. The Baicells Nova249, for example, lists 5 MHz as its minimum channel width in Band 3. A 3 MHz allocation doesn't help with a radio that needs 5 MHz. Baicells specifications.
• Band 40: the normal ongoing Shared Access options in the available 2.3 GHz slices are indoor-only. There is a separate outdoor option in 2320–2340 MHz, but it only lasts up to 14 days. That doesn't give me a way to build permanent coverage around a town. Ofcom's Shared Access guidance.
• Local Access: the normal term is three years. Longer access needs the existing licence holder's agreement, and carrying on afterwards means making another application with no guarantee it will be granted. That makes it difficult to justify buying equipment and putting sites up for the long term. Ofcom's Local Access guidance.

Each of those options exists, but I still need a combination of spectrum, bandwidth, power and licence terms that lets me expand the network.

Lower-frequency spectrum at 700, 800 or 900 MHz could make a big difference. Every extra site needs a location, power, backhaul and maintenance. If suitable low-band access lets me reach more people from fewer sites, the rollout becomes much more achievable. Ofcom's own 700 MHz assessment explains the coverage and cost benefits of lower frequencies, including better penetration through obstructions and fewer base stations for a given traffic requirement. Ofcom's 700 MHz assessment.

One block I want Ofcom and VodafoneThree to look at properly is Three's old 2 × 5 MHz of Band 20. That is 791–796 MHz downlink and 832–837 MHz uplink, and it is still licensed to VodafoneThree. It is the right size for a standard 5 MHz LTE carrier. Published spectrum licence.

I haven't established whether that block can be shared around Nuneaton and Bedworth. That needs a proper assessment of the local use, nearby sites, interference and future plans. With VodafoneThree bringing the networks together, I think this is a sensible time to ask.

VodafoneThree's first annual merger progress report, published by the CMA in September, says its early network-sharing programme is complete. It also says upgraded-site details have been supplied for regulatory monitoring, including locations, bandwidth, antenna heights, power and technology. I want Ofcom to use the relevant information to help assess whether local sharing is possible. VodafoneThree's progress report, pages 5–6.

Ofcom's own Local Access policy says the final licensing decision rests with Ofcom and existing operators have no veto. Objections should be backed by a technical assessment of existing use, planned use within three years or interference. Ofcom also said it would monitor objections and, where significant patterns arise, compare promised deployments with what actually gets built. I want that process to give small operators a clear answer about what they can use. Ofcom's decision, paragraphs 4.45–4.47 and 4.104.

I'm asking for a technical meeting within 30 days, a named person at Ofcom to handle the case and a timetable for looking at:

1. Whether I can get coordinated low-band access in Nuneaton and Bedworth, starting with the old Three 800 MHz block.
2. A longer-term route for community networks to use supported LTE channels at 700, 800 and 900 MHz. Band 28 remains a priority for the campaign.
3. An ongoing, coordinated outdoor route in the existing 2.3 GHz shared-access spectrum.
4. Affordable licence terms, a clearer way to continue operating and proper explanations when access cannot be granted.

The Government's 2026 strategic priorities already call for more spectrum access, better sharing and regulation that supports innovation. I'd like to see that turn into a workable option for a small operator trying to build coverage. Government's strategic priorities.

I'm ready to do the engineering and work through the interference requirements. I need Ofcom to help establish which spectrum I can actually use, at what power and on what terms, so I can get on with expanding Lodestar.

ENDS

Campaign: Free the Spectrum

Media enquiries

Blake
hello@lodestarnetworks.co.uk
0330 520 4093

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