The 700 MHz frequency band which was used for TV signals has now been cleared for use for 5G signals. The band will be auctioned off in January.

TV sets in 17.8 million homes were re-tuned to continue to receive their TV channels on lower frequencies, with 99% of viewers able to re-tune their TV’s themselves.

Only 1% of viewers needed free support from the Freeview Advice Line, and only 0.1% required home visits from engineers to get them re-tuned – in some cases even having their TV aerial re-aligned or replaced free of charge.

The programme, which was funded by DCMS, was estimated for completion at the end of 2021 at a cost of £400 million. It was completed in August 2020 at a cost of under £350 million.

The 700MHz spectrum band had mainly been used for digital terrestrial TV broadcast (Freeview) as well as professional radio microphones used in music studios, theatres and outdoor events.

Now that 20 million homes have successfully re-tuned their TV equipment to continue to receive their TV channels on lower frequencies the 700MHz band is exclusively available for mobile use.

The low frequency of the 700MHz spectrum band is ideal for carrying mobile signals into buildings and over long distances – including the countryside. The clearance will increase capacity in today’s 4G networks helping level up rural communities with greater mobile coverage, reach, and reliability.

Releasing these airwaves will help increase the total amount of the radio spectrum available for mobile services in the UK by 18%.

Around 1,000 workers from organisations including Arqiva, Ofcom, Digital UK, Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited (DMSL) and the multiplex operators spent more than 2 million hours clearing the spectrum.

This saw changes made to more than 1,200 television transmitter sites.

In many cases it involved engineers physically replacing antennas at the top of buildings. The antennas can weigh around six tonnes and lifting them involved significant engineering feats using cranes, and sometimes special ‘Heli-Lift’ helicopters.

Works included building a new temporary mast to stand alongside the iconic Emley Moor Tower in Yorkshire, which is taller than the Shard. At 1,040ft (317m), the temporary mast alone stood as Britain’s seventh tallest structure.

The last part of the infrastructure works took place at Kendal and on the Isle of Man on 19 August where channels were switched to the new frequencies in the last of 57 ‘clearance events’.