Add to del.icio.us     Digg this

Feb. 6, 2008

Yesterday, round 31 of the FCC 700 MHz spectrum auction brought new flavour in bidding and had a few interesting turns of events.

So far, the highest bid for the nationwide C block still remains at $4,637,854,000, obtained from round 17 on Jan. 30.

However, the combined bids of the twelve regional C Blocks now totals $4,748,030,000. FCC rules state that when the total regional bids exceed the bid for the nationwide block, then the regional bidders win.

The rules also say that all blocks of the spectrum will be sold individually.

Some wireless industry observers say this could create some instability in some of the bids as nationwide bidders compete against smaller, regional wireless providers.

To make matters worse, some of them are the same companies on both sides, such as the major telecomm carriers. As could be expected, some aren't too happy with this.

The nationwide D Block remains stuck at $472 million, and some experts believe its emergency use requirement may change if the bids don't arrive anytime soon.

The auction resumes today, and it will be interesting to see how it all unfolds in light of these recent developments.

Add to del.icio.us     Digg this

Source: The FCC.

    This article was featured on Business 5.0.