• August 5, 2021

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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it has granted 5,676 licenses in the 3.7 GHz service (3.7 to 3.98 GHz, also known as the C-band) to winning bidders of Auction 107, which concluded earlier this year. This is a major step towards enabling major carriers to use this mid-band spectrum for 5G and other advanced wireless services here in the U.S.

Auction 107, which started in December 2021 and ended in February 2021, raised $81,168,677,645 in gross bids and $81,114,481,921 in net bids, standing as the largest-ever auction of mid-band spectrum. Verizon wireless was the top bidder in the auction, winning bids for 3,511 licenses, followed by AT&T for 1,621 licenses, T-Mobile for 142 licenses, and United States Cellular Corp. for 254 licenses.

“These mid-band licenses are the sweet spot for 5G deployment,” said FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “That’s because they have the right mix of capacity and propagation that will help us reach more people in more places faster. With these licenses in hand, more carriers can deploy mid-band 5G, which means faster speeds over much wider coverage areas and more robust competition. I thank our outstanding wireless, auctions, and international teams for a job very, very well done.”

For more information about this announcement, read the FCC’s full press release here.

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Sources:

docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-374358A1.pdf

aglmediagroup.com/fcc-grants-c-band-licenses/

nexttv.com/news/fcc-awards-c-band-licenses

tvtechnology.com/news/fcc-grants-c-band-spectrum-licenses