Is this a post-QinetiQ-bargain-basement-sell-off bullish estimate of the value of the MOD's spectrum?

Who is going to buy, and what services are they going to push out? I think you'll find that companies haven't forgotten how the 3G auction went... and we're only just starting to see non-voice services marketed in a way that is actually affordable (yes, I'd pay £10 a month for mobile broadband)

Add in a slowdown in the economy and the potential for a recession and the chances of getting even half of the estimated figure is, IMHO, rather low.

They were given vast amounts of spectrum that other people could have used, free of charge, because they needed it to defend the nation.

If they don't need it any more it should be handed back. Why should they be able to sell it?

"desirable sub-15GHz range, with the MoD accounting for three-quarters of this (or about a third overall). "

So, you're saying that the spectrum stops at about 33.75GHz?

Can you tell that to every one that uses frequencies above that? I admit that it's hard to get any meaningful comms over any kind of range at such high frequencies, but there are uses.

@Christoph; if I GAVE you something of commercial value, and you later decided that you didn't need it any more, would you want to just give it back to me, or would you choose to sell it?

I think the real question is "why shouldn't they be able to sell it?"

What's the betting that they reserve one of the really high frequencies to use as a form of microwave gun, mounted to a boeing plane, able to fry eggs (and 'terrists') from 12000 ft?

short answwer: yes (uses get quite esoteric - like measuring wind profiles using 'scatterometers')

As with all of these things - the MOD will sell it off and then rent it back at a huge loss. When will the governement learn that some state assets should be held onto. Selling off the railways was supposed to encourage competition but all that happened was price rises for the end user. Ditto water. Ditto gas and elec. The government is effectively surrendering a state asset that in the long run will cost us all more. What are the chances that they find a way of offloading it at a pathetically low price and getting sod all for a very valuable asset. Just like the gold.

That's your money burning. The government spectrum auction is them taking a monopsony slice of phone call charges. Their extracted rent means that mobile calls will remain high indefinately, and we won't know the difference.

Cuning sods.

I expected a report of them listing their rubber keyed Sinclair Spectrum's on Ebay.

I almost despair - but that doesn't quite fit, selling off the sky... yeah , right as if we actually need more dishonest predatory corporates providing wireless "services" - if they thought they could sell the air we breathe I'm sure some grasping pen pusher with one eye to "retirement" in the corporate sector would try - the can of "Perriair" in the Mel Brookes' "SpaceBalls" comes to mind.

Give it to Google I say - that'd cause some splutterings in boardrooms

It's only a thought - but how far up - does the government reckon to own electromagnetic radiation?