US Spectrum Auction a Bonanza

Bids for the US 700 MHz wireless spectrum have far exceeded forecasts, bringing more money into the federal coffers.

The Federal Communications Commission recently put part of the wireless spectrum up for auction, thinking it would bring in $10-15 billion.   Wrong.   Sofar the bids have totalled a staggering $18.9 billion, according to Vnunet, and according to one company, ABI Research,the demand is so high that "not even the pending recession impacts the bidding process."   What makes it so important? Basically, the whole wireless kingdom has been dominated foryears by a certain number of carriers. This auction opens it up to new blood, and it might well be their last chance to have a foothold. It would give cable operators, for instance, the chance to gowireless without relying on existing wireless carriers.   It’s even gained the interest of Google, which is believed to have been bidding on thevaluable block C. But they’ll be up against Microsoft, which is bidding via Vulcan Spectrum. If either of those giants win, analysts say, it could alterthe entire wireless industry. The winning bid for that is believed to be $4.7 billion.