FCC releases 700MHz auction details, Verizon, AT&T big winners

After yesterday's wrap-up of the gargantuan Auction 73 to offload the newly-freed 700MHz spectrum, it looks like the two champions to emerge are Verizon and AT&T. Big Red has emerged with virtually all of the highly coveted C Block save for Alaska, Puerto Rico, and the Gulf of Mexico, a logical move considering its recent foray into the wide world of open access. AT&T, meanwhile, has scored much of the B Block, giving it 12MHz of spectrum in many of over 700 "cellular market areas" nationwide. In total, Verizon laid out a whopping $4,741,807,000 to pick up the Block C airwaves, leaving early competitor Google in the dust -- and affirming rumors that Mountain View wasn't in it to win it, it just wanted to make sure the reserve price was met and open access rules were assured.

Other winners include Qualcomm, which won bits and pieces of the B and E Blocks -- more MediaFLO spectrum, perhaps? -- and Frontier Wireless, scoring the overwhelming majority of the low-bandwidth E Block. Frontier is in cahoots with Echostar, though it's not clear how (or if) the new spectrum would augment its satellite TV service.

Left out in the cold was the D Block, a wireless range which the FCC had required to be used in partnership with public safety groups; it failed to meet its minimum reserve price of $1.33 billion, which means that a new Auction 76 will be automatically spawned for bidders to have another go at it. Follow the break for the big winners, broken down by block.

Block	Big winner	Total spent (approximate, across all blocks)
A	No clear winner
B	AT&T	$6,636,658,000
C	Verizon Wireless	$9,363,160,000
D	Qualcomm	$472,042,000 (did not meet reserve)
E	Frontier Wireless	$711,871,000

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 20th 2008 3:42PM]

Someone said that American Somoa went for 17k... Is that true? If so that's cheap no?

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 20th 2008 3:45PM]

loves it! Thats why i'm part of America's Most Relaible network... regardless of what anyone says... i'm proud... It's the Network..

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 20th 2008 5:15PM]

...mk lol.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 20th 2008 5:37PM]

I've always wondered what VZ's PR guy was named

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 20th 2008 6:26PM]

AT&T happened to buy most of it's 700Mhz spectrum a few months ago with buying Aloha for a cheaper price.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 21st 2008 8:00PM]

lol. you are funny steven. you do realize this will have no impact on your coverage, right? there is not a single 700mhz device on the market that you can get to utilize this frequency. nor is there a single vz 700mhz tower. and once there are devices and towers, your phone doesnt support them. lol.

[compboss17 Posted Mar 20th 2008 6:56PM]

Anybody wonder what woulda happened had Verizon let Google win the spectrum? All the sudden in Google HQ: "OH SH**!!!!! We weren't SERIOUS! NOW what do we do??"

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 21st 2008 8:00PM]

lol cb. thats what i was thinking. and wouldnt that be some kind of illegal meddling with a government auction?

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 22nd 2008 5:31AM]

if that happens, google would get an unpaid strike and a negative feedback.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 20th 2008 9:25PM]

erg its going to be several years b4 anyone gets their equipment and everything else for the 700mhz spectrum up and running. till then i am happy with the carrier that i have

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 20th 2008 10:53PM]

what happens to wimax now???