In mid-August, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a notice regarding the short-form applications to participate in Auction 110, the upcoming 3.45 GHz spectrum auction planned for October 5, 2021. Some of the nation’s largest mobile operators, like AT&T and T-Mobile, are on the list of approved bidders.
The goal of Auction 110 is to make mid-band spectrum in the 3.45-3.55 GHz band available to facilitate and accelerate 5G expansion across the U.S. This auction will offer up to 4,060 new licenses in the designated band divided into 10 10-MHZ channels. These blocks will be licensed by geographical locations, also known as Partial Economic Areas (PEAs). In the first phase of the auction, bidders will bid on generic blocks in geographic locations while in the second phase bidders will bid on frequency-specific license assignments.
On the list of bidders, there are major industry players like Verizon and numerous regional operators like Blue Ridge Wireless, East Kentucky Network, and Resound Networks. Some bidders have been approved, while others have complete or incomplete applications. The FCC received 42 applications, 16 of which are incomplete. Just because a bidder has a complete application does not qualify them to hold an FCC license, winning bidders will also have to submit a long-form application at the end of the auction.
For more information about Auction 110, visit the FCC’s website.