Carrier Wrap looks into 600 MHz auction strategies for Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile
The Federal Communications Commission’s highly anticipated 600 MHz incentive auction is soon set to start, with the non-traditional reverse auction proceedings set to begin on March 29, followed by the more traditional forward auction process.
With less than two months to go before the festivities begin, Berge Ayvazian, senior analyst and consultant at Wireless 20/20, joined this week’s Carrier Wrap to provide his thoughts into how the FCC has managed to corral the necessary broadcaster participation essential to freeing up spectrum that will in turn be auctioned off for commercial wireless service.
Ayvazian also touched on potential bidding strategies for established telecom players like Verizon Communications, AT&T and T-Mobile US, which are expected to bid between $23 billion and $25 billion combined in the auction, as well as the potential for non-traditional companies like Comcast and Google may partake in the proceedings. Ayvazian also said he would not be surprised to see some participation from a handful of startups that have expressed interest in the auction process, including startup Rama, which plans to bid up to $10 billion to win enough spectrum to launch a wireless network.
The conversation also turned to what impact Sprint, which has said it would be sitting out of the auction, may have in terms of new entrants into the space by way of potential network sharing arrangements, as well as Dish Network, which has a shed full of spectrum from past auctions.
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