Bidding activity in Auction 108 – the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) sale of unused spectrum in the 2.5GHz band – remains sluggish as the process approaches the one-month mark. At the close of Round 59 (Wednesday 24 August) the gross proceeds stood at USD410.233 million. Tellingly, one-quarter of this figure was committed on the first day of the auction, and bidding has been underwhelming ever since.
Auction 108 is offering approximately 8,000 flexible‐use geographic overlay licences in the 2496MHz-2690MHz (2.5GHz) band. Up to three blocks of spectrum are being licensed on a county basis. Notable bidders include: Cellco Partnership (Verizon Wireless), AT&T Auction Holdings, United States Cellular Corporation (UScellular), T-Mobile License (T-Mobile US) and Cellular South Licenses (C Spire).
As of Round 59 only 69 (out of 8,017) licences have attracted more than one bidder, while 145 licences have yet to attract a bid.