BT, Orange and T-Mobile are among 10 companies to be awarded licences for the 10GHz to 40GHz higher frequency bands.

Ofcom's fourth radio spectrum auction drew offers from companies looking to benefit from high-capacity broadband services.

"The spectrum has been released on a technology- and service-neutral basis, allowing users the flexibility to decide what technology to use, what services to offer and to change their use of the spectrum over time," Ofcom said in a statement.

BT paid £183,000 for 2 x 126MHz in the 32GHz band, Orange paid £272,130 for 2 x 252MHz in the 32GHz band, while T-Mobile paid £321,000 for 2 x 80MHz in the 10GHz band, 2 x 252MHz in the 32GHz band and 2 x 250MHz in 40GHz band.