Digital television signal to be shifted to make way for 5G mobile broadband Ofcom has been criticised over its role in the 4G auction process, which has suffered repeated delays but is now scheduled to begin in January with a total reserve price of £1.3bn. EE, Britain's first 4G network, is already up and running in some big cities, using surplus 2G spectrum. The regulator said it was acting early on 5G because demand for mobile data in 2030 could be 80 time higher than today. It has doubled in the last year, according to the regulator's figures. Britons are now consuming more than 20 million gigabytes of mobile data per month, it revealed, compared to 9 million gigabytes per month last year. By ensuring 5G services are able to use the 700MHz band, Ofcom aims to bring Britain in line with Europe, the Middle East, Africa and potentially the whole world. International talks are underway to "harmonise" spectrum for the next generation of mobile broadband; 4G network equipment makers and handset manufacturers have had to deal with more than 10 frequencies around the world, increasing their costs. "Our plans are designed to avoid a "capacity crunch," ensuring that the UK's mobile infrastructure can continue to support the inescapable growth in consumer demand and economic growth more generally," said Mr Richards. Andrew Ferguson, editor of Thinkbroadband.com, said growth in demand for mobile data could slow when the market for smartphones and tablets reaches saturation point, however. "With the rise in popularity of high spec smartphones and portable tablets it was not unexpected to see that mobile data usage has more than doubled in the last 12 months," he said. However, as ownership of these devices reaches saturation point we may see mobile usage growing less rapidly. 5G networks are expected to use less power and spectrum capacity than 4G, while offering faster internet access. 4G networks are themselves typically around 10 times faster than current 3G technology.