Following a direct order from the Prime Minister to Pakistan’s telecoms regulator, the country’s long-delayed 3G auction will take place on March 29. Thanks to some clever manoeuvring to sidestep legal barriers, the way has been cleared for new entrants to take part. Read more...

There is “broad support” for US positions at WRC-12 but a lot of deal-making remains to be done, key officials said at a press briefing held last week. Mobile broadband, unmanned aircraft systems and international satellite regulations are still top priorities. Read more...

While Ofcom’s u-turn on sub-1 GHz spectrum (see story below) was the regulator’s most eye-catching change of heart in its second 4G auction consultation document, other important points were also raised. Read more...

At a press briefing today, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) launched a process that will culminate in an auction of 700 MHz and 2.6 GHz spectrum before the end of this year. Read more...

Arab states’ priorities for the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-12) include extending mobile broadband services into the 694–790 MHz band and pressing for further studies on the use of software-defined and cognitive radio systems. Read more...

UK mobile operator Everything Everywhere plans to put 25 per cent of its 1800 MHz spectrum up for auction in the next month, according to a report in today’s Financial Times. Read more...

Latvia's Public Utilities Commission (PUC) sucessfully auctioned four out of five available blocks of spectrum in the 2.6 GHz band in a two-day auction held on 2-3 January in the capital city of Riga. The auction was for 15-year licences to use the frequencies starting from 1 January 2014. Read more...

Only three of France’s four main mobile operators won a share of the 800 MHz spectrum auctioned at the end of last year – Orange, SFR and Bouygues Telecom. Read more...

South America’s first three LTE services, one TDD and two FDD, launched in the space of a week late last year, each using network equipment from a different vendor. Read more...

Norway intends to auction spectrum in the 790–862 MHz band in the second quarter of 2012, according to Jarl Fjerdingby, a senior advisor to the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications. Read more...