Ofcom has announced that 4G will arrive in the UK by the end of 2013, with the bidding process for network providers expected to kick off by the end of 2012

Ofcom has announced the bidding process for 4G is set for the end of 2012, raising the prospect of the superfast mobile broadband being rolled out by the end of next year.

The auction process, where the UK’s major network operators will bid for their slice of the radio spectrum that supports the 4G service, has continously been pushed back following a series of disputes between network operators.

Disagreements also arose over how the UK’s 4G capacity will be divided up and sold.

Ofcom Chief Executive, Ed Richards, said: “The 4G auction has been designed to deliver the maximum possible benefit to consumers and citizens across the UK.T

The new auction will offer at least two spectrum bands - 800 MHz  for widespread mobile coverage, and 2.6 GHz for faster speeds.

According to reports, 4G will be available to 98 per cent of the UK by the end of next year.

Richards says 4G will give users the ability to download and stream large files, such as films and songs, while on the the go: “As a direct result of the measures Ofcom is introducing, consumers will be able to surf the web, stream videos and download email attachments on their mobile device from almost every home in the UK.”

(Source: t3.com)