March 20, 2008- On Tuesday, wireless companies bid over $19 billion for radio spectrum license rights. The Federal Communications Commission will be posting the winning companies within the next few days. The major companies involved in the auction were AT&T, Verizon, and interestingly…Google. The licenses will provide the winners with access to the best remaining spectrums, including the coveted C-block, for sending signals farther with less power than it currently uses. Signals will also have the ability to be sent through thick city walls, and over much farther distances, providing service to areas currently not serviced.

The companies are also expecting a drastic increase in customer interest in wireless technologies through their handset, so such spectrum access would allow the winning wireless company to offer the best service and there fore receive more new customers than the other companies. Telephone companies have already been forced to increase the spen of their wireless networks by offering service to more telephone equipmentand internet applications.

Although the auction for the spectrum license received much attention and interest, the D-block license group did not even manage to receive a minimum bid. The D-block licenses responded to governmental reports that incompatiblewireless devices led to much confusion during 9-11 terrorist attacks and natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. More than likely, these licenses will have to be rewritten and prepared for another auction in order to attract more interest from cell phone companies. At the end of the license auction, it was announced that this would, in deed, be the case. Now there will be a hearing to discuss how to rewrite the D-block rules.

-Jeanna Lee

Source: Nytimes.com