Until the 1990s, almost all spectrum licenses were given away practically for free-even the first mobile licenses which laid the foundation for multi-billion dollar companies that dominate stock markets around the world. In the past fifteen years, there has been a concerted attempt to liberalise the sector and make it more open to market forces. Th

Martin Sims is the founder and managing director of PolicyTracker, the spectrum management newsletter. He is also a consultant on spectrum policy issues, particularly relating to auctions.
Toby Youell is a journalist on PolicyTracker and has a degree in politics and Eastern European studies from University College London, London, United Kingdom.
Richard Womersley is director of Spectrum Consulting at LS telcom and has over 20 years of experience in spectrum management