High speed 4G mobile phone networks are finally coming to Britain - but consumers will not be able to use them until the end of next year at the earliest, regulator Ofcom admitted today.
The telecoms regulator unveiled plans for the auction of fourth generation (4G) bandwidth for mobile phone services, but has said bidding will not start until early 2013.
The high speed technology promises to allow smartphone owners to watch high definition TV on the move.
Last year, the watchdog said it hoped to run the sale towards the end of 2012, after it was initially scheduled to take place early in 2012.
The auction will sell chunks of radio spectrum to support future 4G mobile services, providing superfast broadband to mobile devices.
The move will give access to the fourth generation, or 4G, network, to at least 98% of people across the UK, which will allow users to download data - such as music and high-definition films - at much faster speeds, Ofcom said.
Eddie Murphy, telecoms analyst and founder of Priory Consulting, told the BBC that there would be a feeling of deflation in the industry, given the new delay.
'There was a general expectation that there would be a date for the auction this morning,' he said.
'But it's probably very important from Ofcom's point of view to get it right.'
'But it's probably very important from Ofcom's point of view to get it right.'
The auction will offer the equivalent of three-quarters of the mobile spectrum currently in use - some 80% more than released in the 3G auction which took place in 2000.
The proposed reserve prices for the 4G auction lots add up to £805.1 million - but they are thought to raise much more after the 3G sale pulled in a staggering £22.5 billion from mobile companies.
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