Verizon Wireless continued to move 700 MHz spectrum assets it deems unnecessary, announcing a deal today to sell a lower B-Block license covering 12 counties in Texas to Oklahoma-based Panhandle Telecommunications. Terms of the agreement were not released.
Verizon Wireless last week unloaded a lower B-Block license covering four counties north of Dallas to Nortex Communications, also for an undisclosed sum. Verizon Wireless noted that the two sales were the first to be signed as part of the carrier’s plans to unload A- and B-Block spectrum licenses in the 700 MHz band in connections with its recently approved purchase of 1.7/2.1 GHz spectrum licenses from a handful of cable providers.
Verizon Wireless noted the two deals bring the total number of A- and B-Block licenses it has sold or agreed to sell to 26. Those deals have been with nine different companies covering portions of 13 states.
Verizon Wireless picked up 77 licenses in the B Block and 25 licenses in the A Block during the Federal Communications Commission 700 MHz spectrum auction in 2008. Both blocks include 12 megahertz of wireless spectrum.
The A-Block licenses cover a number of large markets, including New York; Philadelphia; Washington-Baltimore; Orlando, Miami and Tampa, Fla.; Atlanta; Cincinnati and Cleveland, Ohio; Detroit and Grand Rapids,Mich.; Indianapolis; Kansas City; Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; Dallas, Austin, Houston and San Antonio, Texas; Denver; Los Angeles, Fresno, San Francisco and Sacramento, Calif.
The B-Block licenses cover broader “cellular market areas” in larger markets of Los Angeles; Chicago; Miami; Cincinnati; Rochester, N.Y.; Memphis, Tenn.; Oklahoma City; Greensboro-Winston Salem, Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; as well as smaller markets in Florida, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.
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