The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it has now opened bids for its latest auction of mid-band spectrum auction.
The auction is aimed at boosting the country’s next generation of 5G wireless services, with about 8,000 licenses for the 2.5 GHz spectrum band being auctioned in rural parts of the United States.
U.S. carriers have taken decisive action to offer 5G wireless services to the people of the United States. To complement their efforts, the FCC has also auctioned spectrums in recent years to meet rising demand for wireless connectivity, as the number of devices connected to the internet soars.
In 2021, Congress approved US$42.5 billion for Commerce Department grants to expand physical broadband deployment in rural areas without access to high-speed services.
AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Dish have been the biggest beneficiaries of the auction. In January, AT&T led the bidders in the auction of the 3.45 GHz midband spectrum, winning US$9.1 billion, while T-Mobile won US$2.9 billion, and Dish won US$7.3 billion.
In 2021, Verizon Communications ultimately paid US$52 billion for 3,511 licenses, AT&T won US$23.4 billion in licenses and T-Mobile US$9.3 billion.
The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.