The multi-billion-pound process has started in the UK to get faster mobile surfing.
The telecoms regulator Ofcom has issued proposals to upgrade the 3G mobile network to super-fast 4G, which will mean faster surfing and downloading on smartphones.
At the moment, it's a "consultation process" and it will lead to the auction of the 4G bands to mobile phone networks.
The last time this happened was in 2000 when the 3G spectrum was auctioned off. That raised £22.5-billion for the Government. For example, Vodafone paid nearly £6-billion for its slice of the 3G airwaves.
For the 4G sell-off, Ofcom is insisting bidders guarantee to cover 95% of the UK population.
The auction itself is expected to start in the first quarter of next year, but then winning bidders will have to embark on upgrading their networks of transmitters and receivers.
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