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As expected, the mobile operators take a front row seat in the UK government's Digital Britain interim report, which sets out recommendations to get universal broadband, of at least 2Mbps, to the entire population, and addresses issues such as Net neutrality. In this effort, mobile broadband is seen as taking an equal role with wireline systems in delivering universal access.

As well as confirming that all spectrum - new bands and the refarmed GSM band - should be available for mobile broadband, the report sets out the principle that all operators, fixed and mobile, should share responsibility for universal broadband access, lifting the current universal service obligation on wireline incumbent BT. Broadband minister Stephen Carter commented: "I think of up to two megabits as a start point. I'd like it to be 25 megabits."

He believes that the current market would be able to deliver next generation networks, whether fixed or wireless, to 60-65% of the population. "The question is whether the market will go beyond that level. I don't think we know the answer to that," he said.

The operators have yet to respond to Lord Carter's report, but they are likely to focus on the significant additional roll-out burden that will be placed upon them. The probable compensations from regulator Ofcom would include automatic renewal of spectrum licenses - or even scrapping fixed-term licenses; liberal rules for refarming GSM spectrum; and greater support for network sharing. The latter, as well as the release of new mobile broadband spectrum in 700MHz, 2.6GHz and other bands, would provide "greater investment certainty" for existing 3G operators, says the document. Carter does not believe there should be subsidies for operators in underserved regions however.

Critics say the report has not understood or really addressed the issues of open access and Net neutrality, with which the US and other administrations are also grappling painfully. While most believe a 2Mbps minimum would be achieved across the country by 2012 anyway, opponents say neutrality is hardly supported. ISPs can engage in traffic management and charge content owners for premium services - tiers of service, rather than equality and non-discrimination, fall well short of general thinking in the US and elsewhere. A previous proposal for a 'three strikes' approach to copyright infringement has been abandoned as unworkable.

Other critics said clearer rules are needed on how new spectrum will be allocated, and Kevin Russell, CEO of 3 UK, weighed in on that issue, arguing that Ofcom should reallocate spectrum evenly between the UK's existing cellcos, rather than auction it off, potentially to new players. "The hunger from operators for bidding on spectrum is debatable, and a new player could come along, build out another network and cause even more fragmentation in the market," he said.

Meanwhile, the European Commission has announced plans to spend €1bn on subsidizing broadband in rural areas, creating a million jobs and generating extra economic activity of €850bn by 2015. Nearly one-third of the rural population of the EU member states have no access to broadband, says the Commission. Much of the new broadband could be delivered wirelessly.

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