Qualcomm purchase spectrum to develop wireless broadband

Qualcomm has invested £8.3 million on UK spectrum as part of an effort to produce enhanced wireless broadband infrastructure.

The US telecoms firm purchased 40 MHz in the 1.4 GHz band, which it claims offers significant potential for researching and developing new technologies.

John Caterer, UK managing director for Qualcomm Europe, said: "If we can help the market to harness this potential, we will see additional opportunities for service providers using a variety of technologies.

"This will ultimately benefit consumers, offering them high quality services and a range of creative applications."

Andrew Gilbert, executive vice president at Qualcomm Europe, added that the firm was looking to work alongside operators in order to offer new services to customers.

These are expected to encompass peer-to-peer networking via mobile networks, expanding capacity and in-building coverage and multimedia broadcasting.

However, Mr Gilbert claimed that Qualcomm was not working "on a strict deadline".