The long-awaited results of FCC Auction 107 are available, with Verizon and AT&T spending as much as anticipated on the coveted C band spectrum. Verizon, in particular, spent almost twice as much as AT&T, with a total US spend. $ 45.4 billion. AT&T’s total offering reaches $ 23.4 billion. T-Mobile is in a distant third place, with $ 9.3 billion, which was also expected thanks to the strong holdings of middle-band spectrum that the company already had after the acquisition of Sprint.
There is nothing surprising here: we have known for some time that the total bid amounted to more than $ 80 billion and that Verizon and AT&T in particular would be the top bidders. The national 5G networks of these two operators currently rely on narrower low-band frequencies that offer speeds not much higher than 4G LTE – and extremely fast millimeter wave frequencies that face significant coverage challenges. If there is any surprise here, it is just how much more Verizon has spent than AT&T.
What remains to be seen is whether the new spectrum will help any of the operators reach T-Mobile. Some analysts think not. In any case, the new frequencies will not be available before the end of the year, and even then, they will be available first in limited locations.