The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced the conclusion of bidding in the initial phase of Auction 110, its sale of licences in the 3.45GHz to 3.55GHz band. In the ‘clock phase’, bidders won 4,041 of the 4,060 available generic blocks, and gross proceeds reached over USD21.888 billion, which places Auction 110 among the highest grossing auctions in FCC history. Winning bidders will now have the opportunity to bid for frequency-specific licences in the ‘assignment phase’ of the auction.
TeleGeography notes that the 33 qualified bidders for Auction 110 included the likes of AT&T Communications (bidding as AT&T Auction Holdings), Verizon Wireless (Cellco Partnership) and T-Mobile US (T-Mobile License). Satellite TV giant DISH Network – which intends to launch a new 5G network in 2022 – has participated via a holding company called Weminuche.