The feasibility of frequency spectrum sharing arrangements is becoming increasingly of interest to ICT regulators for many reasons. Among these reasons, two standout. First, the frequency spectrum requirements to deliver broadband services is getting larger. This requires opening new frequency bands where existing users have legitimate needs. Second, the utilization of spectrum varies widely in time and geography… Read More »
FCC Auction 110 for 100 MHz in the 3.45 GHz band is set to start tomorrow (October 5): the third auction for 3 GHz band spectrum in less than two years for a combined 450 MHz. This is a huge amount of spectrum considering previous auctions and holdings. Here, I wanted to share an outline of this auction… Read More »
The Canadian auction for an average of 111 MHz in the 3500 MHz band raised a record setting C$8.91 billion (US$7.16 B). That’s an average of C$2.28/MHz-PoP (US$1.83); or a global record high for this spectrum band. Or, to bring another meaning into this, operators paid C$270 for each mobile subscriber! For another perspective, the US C-band auction… Read More »
The market landscape and auction structure make the Canadian 3500 MHz midband spectrum auction an interesting one to watch. The auction will kick off on June 15 to release an average of 111 MHz of which around 50 MHz will be set aside for regional wireless operators. This is relatively small in terms of what 5G requires to… Read More »
Update: The assignment phase concluded since I wrote this post. You can download summary of the results by entering your name and email here. The clock phase for FCC C-Band Auction 107 has concluded in 97-rounds raising a record $80.92 Billion. The auction moves to the assignment phase. The proceeds exclude up to $13 B in additional fees… Read More »
We are offering a packaged valuation service for the upcoming FCC 3.7 GHz C-band spectrum auction and the Canadian 3.4 GHz auction. Included with the services is a detailed update of prices for global auctions and operator allocations in mid-band spectrum. Contact me for a quote. Click here to see our 5G midband spectrum valuation report.
Written in collaboration with Martyn Roetter* Countries across the world have been releasing new spectrum for 5G deployments in millimeter-wave spectrum bands (mmWave), while others are planning to do so soon. Although a few governments have awarded mmWave spectrum via administrative processes at little or no cost to operators (Japan, Hong Kong), in most cases the procedure for… Read More »
Spectrum pricing is a function of supply and demand. Over the course of recent 5G spectrum auctions, regulators demonstrated, yet again, their influence on the outcome. Italy and Taiwan are two examples which set a record valuation for the 3.5 GHz auction. This year, we will see one of the largest auctions ever: the CBRS auction scheduled to… Read More »
How much is 5G spectrum worth? Xona Partners published two reports on recent 5G spectrum auction valuation benchmarks. The first is a report on international mid-band spectrum auctions in the 3 – 5 GHz band. The second is a report on millimeter wave spectrum auctions in the 24 – 42 GHz bands. Both reports provide details of the… Read More »
Auction 102 concluded on May 28th raising $2 Billion for 2904 licenses for 700 MHz in 24 GHz (24.25–24.45; 24.75–25.25 GHz). [FCC] AT&T and T-Mobile spent $982 million and $803 million for 831 and 1346 licenses, respectively.
The FCC concluded Auction 102 netting over $2 billion for over 2,900 licenses in the 24/25 GHz band. A good milestone, but more critical is the availability of 3.5 GHz spectrum which has better performance tradeoffs than millimeter wave spectrum. With all the talk about the ‘5G race’, availability of mid-band spectrum makes the most difference on who… Read More »
Interest in the 3.5 GHz band is increasing as its set to become the global 5G spectrum band. We recently undertook a study for a new research report* of global 3.5 GHz band to uncover the impact on the 5G deployment timelines and ecosystem. One of the fundamental questions is putting figures on the value of the 3.5… Read More »
Results from the recent UK spectrum auction and the minimum price set by the Korean regulator show record 3.5 GHz spectrum valuation. UK operators paid £1.16 Billion ($1.64 Billion) for 150 MHz. In Korea, the regulator asked for close to $2.5 Billion for 280 MHz. For comparison, the 3.5 GHz UK spectrum is more than 5x the price paid… Read More »
This past week saw Verizon overtaking AT&T in bidding for Straight Path Communications, owner of 28 and 39 GHz ‘5G’ spectrum, closing the contest at $3.1 Billion, more than double AT&T’s initial bid of $1.25 Billion ($1.6 B transaction value). The acquisition is framed within the context of spectrum for 5G services. What makes this an interesting case… Read More »