Airwaves used to beam television to households look set to be made available to mobile operators after the European Union came closer on Wednesday to recommending what part of the spectrum should be sold off.

The EU body representing all 27 member states’ spectrum authorities agreed that the newly-available airwaves should not be reserved for any specific use. But it is of most interest to mobile phone operators as they seek to deliver next-generation broadband at speeds up to twenty times today’s.