{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-wireless-telegraphy-act-2006-directions-to-ofcom-order-2010-ukdsi-2010-9780111497319/article-3",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-wireless-telegraphy-act-2006-directions-to-ofcom-order-2010-ukdsi-2010-9780111497319/article-3.json",
  "legislation": "ukdsi/2010/9780111497319",
  "legislation_title": "The Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 (Directions to OFCOM) Order 2010",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-wireless-telegraphy-act-2006-directions-to-ofcom-order-2010-ukdsi-2010-9780111497319",
  "path": "article/3",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "3",
  "heading": "Interpretation",
  "text": "In this Order—\n“the 800MHz band” and other such frequency bands are defined in Schedule 1;\n“800MHz licence” means a licence authorising the use of frequencies in the United Kingdom in the 800MHz band to provide cellular mobile electronic communications services and “900MHz licence”, “1800MHz licence”, “2100MHz licence” and “2600MHz licence” shall be construed accordingly;\n“the Act” means the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006;\n“Combined Auction” means the auction of licences authorising the use of frequencies in the 800MHz and paired 2600MHz bands and surrendered frequencies in the 900MHz, 1800MHz and 2100MHz bands referred to in article 7;\n“completion of the Combined Auction” means the publication by OFCOM on its website at www.ofcom.org.uk of the names of the persons to whom licences have been granted pursuant to the Combined Auction;\n“the Decision” means Commission Decision 2009/766/EC on the harmonisation of the 900MHz and 1800MHz frequency bands for terrestrial systems capable of providing pan-European electronic communications services in the Community;\n“electronic communications network” and “electronic communications service” have the meaning given by section 32 of the Communications Act 2003;\n“GSM system” means an electronic communications network that complies with the GSM standards as published by the European Telecommunications Institute (“ETSI”), in particular EN 301 502 and EN 301 511 listed in Schedule 2;\n“licence” means a wireless telegraphy licence;\n“relevant network provider” means a provider of an electronic communications network that is capable of providing mobile telecommunications services to an area within which at least 70% of the population of the United Kingdom lives and with a 90% probability that users in outdoor locations within that area can receive the service with a sustained downlink speed of not less than 768kbps in a lightly loaded cell;\n“rural areas” means the least populated areas of the United Kingdom which together contain 20% of the population of the United Kingdom;\n“subsequent auction” means an auction which takes place after the Combined Auction in which a person may bid for a licence authorising the use of frequencies which were not sold in the Combined Auction;\n“UMTS system” means an electronic communications network that complies with the UMTS standards as published by ETSI, in particular EN 301 908-1, EN 301 908-2, EN 301 908-3 and EN 301 908-11 listed in Schedule 2.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "2003 c.21."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2010/9780111497319/article/3",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-30T14:55:09.356565+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}