Telecoms regulator Ofcom has approved Everything Everywhere’s plans to use its existing 1800MHz spectrum for delivering 4G services. Everything Everywhere applied to Ofcom in November last year with a proposal to change its current licences.

Following a consultation, Ofcom has concluded that these changes will deliver significant benefits to consumers without distorting competition or giving Everything Everywhere anything more than a brief advantage.

87 million 4G-equipped mobile devices are expected to ship worldwide this year, according to figures from ABI Research. That’s a 294% increase from last year’s total of 4G smartphones, USB dongles, tablets, portable WiFi hotspots and wireless broadband modems.

Most are expected to be LTE devices, with WiMAX now seeing less support.

Google is selling its 6.5% share in US-based 4G WiMAX network operator Clearwire for $47 million, substantially less than the $500 million it originally paid in 2008.

In a statement, it said “Google periodically rebalances its investments based on its goals and its evaluation of market conditions”.

The International Telecommunications Union, which is the United Nations agency for IT and telecoms, has confirmed the specifications for next-generation mobile technologies. This will be known as IMT-Advanced and will include ‘LTE-Advanced’ and ‘WirelessMAN-Advanced’ (which is also known as Mobile WiMAX Release 2).

Although WiMAX, LTE and HSPA+ are often described as a ‘4G’ service, the ITU sees IMT-Advanced as being the true fourth-generation evolution.

Last week, Nokia Siemens Networks announced plans for reorganisation, which involved massive cost savings and around 17,000 jobs being cut.

Business areas that aren’t consistent with the new strategy were “planned to be divested or managed for value”.