Qualcomm puts UK spectrum up for sale

LONDON, June 8 (Reuters) - Chipmaker Qualcomm has put a chunk of spectrum up for sale in Britain which could appeal to mobile operators grappling with the demand for Internet access.

Qualcomm (Swiss: QCOM.SW - news) said it plans to sell spectrum known as L-Band which can be used to boost the downloading capacity that mobile operators provide to customers.

"Qualcomm UK Spectrum (QUKS), Qualcomm's subsidiary that owns L-Band spectrum rights in the UK, plans to trade this spectrum," it said in a statement.

Mobile operators have come under increasing pressure in recent years to upgrade their networks to meet demand from customers who want to download more Internet pages, video and photos.

The desire to use smartphones for an array of services, such as watching video, means the quality of network is also becoming a factor when consumers choose which operator to sign up to.

Mobile operators in Britain include EE, jointly owned by Orange (Taiwan OTC: 4554.TWO - news) and Deutsche Telekom (Xetra: 555750 - news) and about to be sold to BT, Vodafone and O2, which is in the process of being bought by Three.

(Reporting by Kate Holton; editing by Jason Neely)