“Verizon was the winner of the nationwide license for the crucial 700MHz wireless auction as well as most regional licenses, the FCC has revealed,” MacNN reports.
“An initial list of winners shows the telecoms giant to have successfully won both the national license as well as 11 out of 12 of the local licenses available for the ‘C’ block that is likely to be used for wireless data. The licenses supply the company with coverage across all of the US and would allow it to launch any future service with few gaps in its network,” MacNN reports.
“Only AT&T Mobility has managed to win a major regional “C” block bid for coverage in the Mississippi Valley, according to government documents,” MacNN reports.
More in the full article here.
The Associated Press reports, “Verizon Wireless, a joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc. and British telecom giant Vodaphone Group, won nearly every license in the consumer-friendly ‘C block.'”
AP reports, “The spectrum, which encompasses about a third of the spectrum at auction, is subject to ‘open access’ provisions pushed by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, meaning users of the network will be able to use whatever phones or software they wish. Verizon won the regional licenses in the block cover every state with the exception of Alaska.”
Full article here.
Grant Gross reports for IDG News, “Verizon was the winning bidder in the 22MHz band of spectrum called the C block in the FCC’s 700MHz auction, which concluded Tuesday. The company bid US$4.7 billion for the spectrum, which covers nearly all of the U.S., while the high bids on the entire 700MHz auction totalled nearly $19.6 billion.”
“The FCC put so-called open-access provisions on the C block, meaning Verizon must allow outside devices such as mobile handsets from other carriers and must allow users to run outside applications on the network. Verizon originally filed a lawsuit against the FCC’s open access rules, but dropped out while trade group the CTIA continued with the lawsuit,” Gross reports.
“Among the other winners in the 700MHz auction was AT&T, which won spectrum covering the metropolitan areas of New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, Dallas, Boston, San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and dozens of other large cities. Qualcomm won spectrum covering New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Los Angeles and other areas,” Gross reports.
Full article here.
Peter Kaplan reports for Reuters, “Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. were big winners in the U.S. government’s auction of wireless licenses that raised a record $19.59 billion, the Federal Communication Commission said today.”
“Verizon Wireless, a joint venture with Vodafone Group Plc, won the nationwide ‘C’ block of the auction, giving it control of a major piece of the airwaves being vacated by television broadcasters as they move to digital signals in early 2009,” Kaplan reports. “The FCC also said that AT&T had won 227 licenses from among the ‘B’ block of regional licenses.”
“Frontier Wireless, a partner of U.S. satellite television company EchoStar, gained airwaves in the “E” block of the auction, covering almost all of the U.S.,” Kaplan reports.
More in the full article here.
great… the loser company using the non-gsm technology is just what everybody needs…
Ugh. AT&T;dropped the ball. Here’s to a future with wifi everywhere…
aaawwwww sheeeeeiiit!
This is a joke. This will suffocate innovation. Why spend the time developing technologies that will take advantage of this spectrum if your only choice is to sell it, distribute it or license is it to one company? It’d be a hell of a gamble . . .
Doesn’t seem like the iPhone or Touch will benefit as quickly as I had hoped, either.
At least I’m still unbeaten in my NCAA pool . . .
Bummer.
Verizon=Controlling M’F’ers
Would someone explain this in plain English?
How could they possibly win 11 out of 12 areas available over AT&T;?
Does “winner” mean they forked out more money?
What does all this mean?
All the above comments true unless something else is in the works…………
Why do I get the feeling that some lobbyist somewhere is celebrating tonight?
Verizon’s top priority…stifle the iPhone and AT&T;.
That really sucks.
But, at least Google was able to get the FCC to institute the rule on the spectrum that any legitimate device can work on it (aka, not just Verizon’s devices). Sure, you have to pay Verizon for use, which always sucks, because Verizon tends to be expensive (at least compared to what I’m used to: T-Mobile).
But thanks to Google, someone like, say, Apple, could still integrate the hardware necessary to run on the band in their product. The only question is: will they do it, when they have their exlcusive deal with AT&T;? I dunno. We’ll find out in probably just over a year.
Yebot, in DC some lobbyist is always celebrating somewhere.
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Shit.
For now and until the political winds shift, open access rules are still in effect.
Bummer! I was hoping someone else would get this. I really don’t like Verizon and as soon as my contract with them is up this Summer I am DONE with them.
It will be a cold day in the hot place before I give them another dime!
It’s like car companies that own highways.
$9.6 billion is what Verizon spent. Google and or Apple could have spent that much. We could have had the start of a third wireless network. What a terrible lost opportunity.
Just yet another stagnation of US technological advancement originally begun by Microsoft…the europeans and asians are truly laughing at us.
How can any company get 11 of 12 winning bids? The love has not been spread today.
this is truly horrible…i blame Google. we’re getting a divorce.
What is the point of Verizon owning that spectrum.
Silicon Valley=cowards.
I thought Google were going to go for this? Obviously the rumors were wrong…bigtime.
@DogGone:
Google did bid, but only up to the figure that triggered the rule forcing Verizon to allow access to any legitimate device.
Fantastic news! V-CAST everywhere!
I truly think we’re gonna see some marvelous innovations from Verizon along the lines of Microsoft’s revolutionary Windows Vista and Zune. Congratulations, Verizon. I think I speak for everyone—even the MAC sheep—when I say I can’t wait to see what Verizon does next. It’s gonna be great.
Your potential. Our passion.™
Maybe it’s time to move to China everyone…
Yeah, riiiight…
Every Verizon customer likes getting nickle and dimed for every little cell phone “feature” that Verizon so generously allows their customers to use.
The exact same phones and features that customers of other telcos typically don’t get charged for when they use them to get data to and from their computers.
Ugh. AT&T;dropped the ball. Here’s to a future with wifi everywhere…
AT&T;? Where the F was Apple at?!?
Steve could’ve had crucial spectrum, for half the money MS is chasing has-been Yahoo with…
FCC<>Verizon: This is a good example of how the Republican party works: – limit competition, stifle creativity, constrain accessibility and excessively charge users for the privilege of being manipulated. Makes me want to eat some good old American Apple Pie!
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