Auction 73’s slow creep towards exhaustion continues unabated with new bids remaining below triple figures, though interspersed with the occasional head scratcher.
So it was yesterday afternoon when a bid popped up for the then unclaimed C-Block license package covering Guam, the Northern Marina Islands and American Samoa, affectionately known as the Pacific Package. The bid conquered previous high bids for the individual licenses posted in recent rounds and was usurped in round 71 by a new bid that pushed the package price to $499,000. The package went bidless during round 72.
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Overall, new bids during the previous six rounds fluttered between 82 and 89 with potential winning bid amounts pitching in between $3.8 million and $4.9 million per round. The auction’s total provisional winning bids stood at $19.410 billion after round 72.
As with recent rounds, the most activity remains in the E Block where bidders continue to throw money at the 6 megahertz of unpaired spectrum that is expected to be used for non-traditional cellular services. Qualcomm Inc. has used similar spectrum for its MediaFLO mobile TV service and was expected to use the auction to add to its holdings.
Despite the low, but steady bids per round, the Federal Communication Commission has yet to announce plans to increase the number of rounds being held per day. The auction is currently conducting six, 25-minute rounds per day, and is scheduled to suspend bidding on Feb. 18 in honor of President’s Day.
