800MHz sell off may have been a mistake, 700MHz is Greed.
What is the Digital Dividend?
1) Money for Tresuries via Regulator's auctions
2) Savings in numbers of Rural masts for Mobile Operators.
3) NOTHING extra for consumer.
Large cells are very poor speed/capacity. 800MHz band is larger cells than 900, and nearly x3 diameter / range of 1800MHz. That means 1/9th of capacity per unit area.
At 700MHz, it's a cheap way to provide voice to a village, but about 1/16th of capacity per unit area compared to 1800MHz. Longer range (i.e. cell interference = lower speed) happens MUCH more commonly at 700MHz. Note that Mobile operators make huge profits from voice, enormous profit from SMS and nearly nothing (or in case of Three, none) from Data.
Unless FIXED wireless with roof aerials are used, NOT a single person will have broadband, no matter if 4G or something newer is deployed.
It's purely revenue raising and a cost saving for the Mobile operator.
Mobile operators should be forced to have a higher density and more masts 900MHz to 2100MHz and properly re-use spectrum AND provide better performance.
The various sell offs below 900MHz in Europe and 800MHz in USA purely raise money for Treasury (a one off) and cripple DTT newer services and newer technology, playing into hands of Pay TV Cable and Satellite.
It's a fact that Comreg and Ofcom in Europe want to abolish Terrestrial TV entirely and have people only pay for TV via Internet (not scaleable for 20M simultaneous HD viewers), Satellite and Cable.