T-Mobile is likely to be the dominant bidder in a 2.5 GHz auction expected next year, as it fills out substantial holdings in the band. T-Mobile got the spectrum when it bought Sprint and said in August it’s adding the band to its network at 600-700 sites weekly (see 2008070026). T-Mobile asked last week to move forward on an auction next year. AT&T questioned whether T-Mobile’s holdings exceed the spectrum screen.
Communications is playing a bigger role for electric utilities as they move to a smarter grid, Vivian Bouet, chief information officer at San Antonio’s CPS Energy, told the Utilities Technology Council virtual conference on its final day Thursday. UTC also took a deep dive in a panel on a project by Central Virginia Electric Cooperative (CVEC) to bring fiber service to its customers.
Verizon appears to be girding for a fight with T-Mobile over whether its spectrum holdings should preclude the “uncarrier” from bidding in the C-band auction, which starts Dec. 8, industry officials said. Verizon would flip the script on T-Mobile, which lobbied against Verizon and AT&T holdings seeking preferential treatment for competitors in the TV incentive auction (see 1408130047).
The results of the FCC citizens broadband radio service auction announced Wednesday 2009020029) were largely as expected, with Verizon and major cable operators dominating (see 2007200049). Dish Network also came in big, which was more of a surprise (see 2008260055). Southern California Edison also gobbled up priority access licenses (PALs).
David Wells, senior adviser at the Department of Energy, slammed FCC actions opening the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi and on Ligado during a Utilities Technology Council virtual conference Tuesday. Fred Moorefield, DOD deputy chief information officer for command, control and communications, said the interagency system worked until recent months. Utility executives said this week 6 GHz concerns aren’t going away (see 2008310049). In an unusual petition, NTIA asked the FCC to reconsider the Ligado order (see 2006120033).
Verizon, seeking to close mid-band holes in its network, was the big winner in the citizens broadband radio service auction with $1.89 billion in bids, the FCC said Wednesday. Wetterhorn Wireless, a Dish Network subsidiary, bid $912,939,410. Charter Communications’ Spectrum Wireless Holdings bid $464,251,209.
The FCC’s May order reallocating a 6 GHz swath of spectrum in 900 MHz for broadband could be a game changer for utilities (see 2005130057), speakers said Wednesday at IWCE. Most are still watching, they said. On another panel, experts said despite the growth of FirstNet many public safety agencies remain committed to land-mobile radio (LMR).
The FCC ended the citizens broadband radio service auction after the final bidding round Tuesday, with total bids of $4.585 billion, or just more than 21 cents MHz/POP. The auction offered the largest number of spectrum licenses ever in a single FCC auction and was the first FCC mid-band auction for 5G. Questions remain about who drove up the bids in the auction and the amount bid by wireless carriers, cable operators, Dish Network or companies planning to offer private networks. The next big mid-band auction of C-band spectrum starts Dec. 8.
The citizens broadband radio service auction hit close to $4.59 billion after 76 rounds Tuesday, with bidding slowing and no increase over Monday. Tuesday was the first with five bidding rounds. BitPath calculates the average price at just under 22 cents MHz/POP.
MoffettNathanson’s Craig Moffett said wireless industry trends all tie back to a charging T-Mobile. “Whether it is Verizon buying spectrum, or the Cable operators attempting to reduce costs in order to (eventually) lower price, everyone is chasing T-Mobile,” Moffett told investors Wednesday: “Only three months into the merger, it is already becoming clear that T-Mobile is poised to pull away from an otherwise uninspiring wireless sector.” Moffett said cable operators, eager to cut their costs, are likely among the biggest bidders in the citizens broadband radio service auction. Based on numbers from BitPath, prices are as high as 91 cents MHz/POP in Orange, California, and 68 cents in San Diego, he said. “Cable needs CBRS to bring their costs down, particularly if they are to eventually have the ability to price competitively versus T-Mobile,” he said: “Verizon wants CBRS to augment their LTE network.”