• The UK’s three MNOs spent a total of £39m in Ofcom’s mmWave spectrum auction
• VMO2 tested 5G SA on mmWave in September 2025, while Vodafone completed tests in 2024
• But the dearth of mmWave-capable devices in Europe is seen as a key bottleneck to service launches

The UK’s three mobile network operators (MNO) have spent a total of £39 million on licences for new 5G-friendly millimetre mobile airwaves (mmWave), with Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) quickly issuing a statement to say it plans to put the spectrum to good use as soon as it can. 

UK regulator Ofcom released a total of 5.4GHz of spectrum –  “the most ever to be made available in an Ofcom auction” – across the 26GHz and 40GHz bands. BT-owned EE, VMO2 and VodafoneThree each won 800MHz of spectrum in the 26GHz band and 1GHz of spectrum in the 40GHz band, and each committed to pay £13m. The assignment stage has yet to be completed, however. 

Such amounts certainly seem like a drop in the ocean compared to the billions that were spent back in the day on low- and mid-band spectrum for various mobile network generations. In the UK, operators spent just over £1.35bn in total on 700MHz and 3.6GHz-3.8GHz frequencies in 2021, although that total was less than anticipated. Few will also forget the eyewatering £22.5bn that was spent on the 3G auction in 2000. And MNOs have wasted few opportunities to complain about the high cost of spectrum ever since. 

mmWave spectrum is, of course, somewhat different. It has short wavelengths of up to 10 millimetres and is characterised by extremely wide bandwidths and high data capacity. Reports say it is best suited to improving coverage in crowded places, such as sports stadiums and train stations; it is also said to have the potential to enhance 5G fixed wireless access. 

Ofcom said the three operators will be able to deploy the spectrum in 68 towns and cities across the UK and clearly expects them to use the frequencies to improve their 5G networks “in busier places up and down the UK”. 

 According to mobile analytics firm Opensignal, the UK joins the growing list of markets that have already auctioned mmWave spectrum for mobile use. “Many European countries – including Italy, Finland, Austria, Greece, Croatia and Spain – as well as several in Asia Pacific, such as Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand, have done the same. The US leads the pack, having completed multiple auctions across several mmWave bands,” it said. 

More devices, please

At the same time, one key obstacle is the limited number of devices supported by this spectrum band in Europe. Luke Kehoe, industry analyst for Europe at Ookla, observed on LinkedIn that the mmWave “device mix” remains the key bottleneck in Europe, where Apple iPhones “lack mmWave, and most Android [devices] omit mmWave, likely pushing early usage toward CPE/enterprise devices… and managed fleets”.

Moreover, a July 2025 report from the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) notes that although the number of mmWave-capable devices is steadily increasing, “it remains concentrated in premium smartphones, select customer premises equipment for fixed wireless access, and some enterprise-grade devices”. 

The association warns that broader adoption “in mainstream consumer devices, IoT [internet of things] hardware and industrial equipment is still limited by factors such as cost, design challenges and the need for multiband antenna integration”.  

Opensignal commented that until mmWave becomes standard in most devices and operators have a stronger business case to justify dense deployments, its rollout is likely to remain slow and selective. “For the time being, 5G mmWave will remain best suited for high-traffic zones and specialised applications. For everyday users, the benefits are still limited,” it said. 

“But that doesn’t mean the story ends here. As devices develop and urban networks mature, mmWave could yet fulfil its promise – transforming how we experience connectivity in the cities and high-traffic areas. The question isn’t if it happens, but when and to what extent,” added Opensignal  

VMO2 concedes that there are “currently limited mobile handsets [available] in the UK market” that support mmWave spectrum, although it remains keen to “utilise this spectrum as soon as these devices become mainstream in the UK”. The telco didn’t indicate which devices are currently available in this band. (UPDATE: VMO2 has confirmed that, currently, just one device, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, is 'hardware capable' of supporting mmWave connectivity. "This is an investment for the future," noted a spokesperson for the operator.)

The operator said it will use its mmWave frequencies to boost mobile performance “in busy towns and cities, in packed locations, such as train stations, airports and stadiums and for businesses using 5G private networks in the likes of factories or ports, where reliability, speed and low latency are key”. It also aims to support “new data-hungry technologies as 5G applications and uses for this spectrum evolve”.

VMO2 carried out a 5G standalone (SA) test in September using a trial licence for mmWave spectrum which, it claims, saw speeds of 4Gbit/s on a single device, “a new speed record for O2”. It added that its 2,000 small cell sites “are ideally suited to make use of mmWave spectrum”. 

Vodafone UK carried out 5G mmWave trials in 2024, in collaboration with Ericsson and Qualcomm, and also claimed to have achieved peak download speeds up to 4Gbit/s and 500Mbit/s for uploads.

Meanwhile, the nation’s MNOs have recently stepped up their messaging on 5G standalone deployment progress. In early October, BT/EE said its ambition is to deliver 5G SA to 99% of the UK population by the end of the 2030 financial year. It will market these services under the 5G+ brand. 

In September, the newly formed VodafoneThree said it expects to increase 5G SA coverage to 90% of the population in the third year after its merger, increasing to 99.95% by 2034.

Also in September, VMO2 said its 5G SA network is now up and running in 500 towns and cities and is available to more than 70% of the UK population.

- Anne Morris, Contributing Editor, TelecomTV