When the analogue television signal for BBC2 was turned off in Whitehaven, Cumbria, last month, the UK took its first steps to a digital future.

But the start of the digital switchover has also reignited the debate over what to do with the parts of the radio spectrum now no longer being used for television. According to ISPs, it could be a crucial addition to the country’s broadband
infrastructure.

But bandwidth is a highly versatile asset, and several competing industries are keen to assert their right to it.

The government has already guaranteed that some of the free spectrum will go to broadcasters for high-definition (HD) television services. But the industry wants more.

Mobile phone operators are also lining up, keen to use the new bandwidth
for next-generation mobile services such as video.

Use of the spectrum for wireless internet access is vital because it enables the standard evolutionary path from fixed to mobile, according to Professor Jim Norton, senior policy adviser at the Institute of Directors.

“The bandwidth is crucial to the next stage for broadband, where the last connection to the user will be radio rather than cable or fibre,” said Norton.

“Telegrams gave way to paging, then the same thing happened with phones, starting with fixed lines and moving to mobile.

“We see broadband as a fixed activity, but it will become something we demand to do with complete mobility,” he said.

The spectrum range on offer is well suited to internet access because the low frequency 112Mhz band creates robust signals that can both cover long distances and pass through walls.

It would be particularly good at reaching remote rural areas that have patchy broadband services, according to Freedom4, the ISP formerly known as Pipex.

“Using the spectrum would bring broadband to areas that are currently too far from the exchange for fixed lines,” said Graham Currier, business development director at Freedom4.

Despite the advantages, Ofcom’s spectrum auctions ­ scheduled for 2009 ­ will not help solve the issue of the UK’s need for next-generation broadband, with speeds of 100 Mbit/s rather than the current top rates of 10 Mbit/s.

“Even with the freed-up spectrum there isn’t enough bandwidth to run 100 Mbit/s systems,” said Stephen Hearnden, director of telecommunications at trade group Intellect.

“At the moment there are still difficulties in proving a business case for higher-speed connections.

“But when it does happen, it will require between £10bn and £15bn of investment and several years to roll out.”

Ofcom’s guidelines for the digital dividend spectrum auctions are due before the end of the year.