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Canada planning auction of "highly prized" 700MHz spectrum
Having just completed a rather rousing auction of its AWS spectrum, Canada is now turning its attention to the 700MHz bandwidth that just got sold off south of its borders a few months back. Minister of Industry Jim Prentice says that he reckons an auction will take place about a year and a half from now, giving the dust from the AWS action enough time to settle -- and with any luck, there'll be some new players in the market by that point that could potentially give the big guys a run for their money on some of the licenses. If the US is any indication, much of the spectrum would ultimately be allocated by its winners to 4G buildouts, which require immense swaths of bandwidth to be maximally effective. Can't complain about that, unless you hate speed, we guess. Which we don't.[Via MobileSyrup]
AT&T's 3G comes out on top in speed tests, will only get faster in 2009
The folks over at Computerworld just ran the current 3G providers in America through their paces, only to discover that AT&T came out on top in almost every category. Well, it appears the monolithic telco plans to keep its edge (er...) on the competition -- by upping its HSPA service to a whopping 20Mbps come 2009. Our main man Ralph de la Vega said that the process wouldn't require a major overhaul to the provider's infrastructure, and that they're already working on punching up the current 3.6Mbps speeds to 7.2Mbps "in the labs." Apparently, this won't stall plans for forthcoming 4G / 700MHz / LTE service from the company -- it'll just be icing on the cake.Read - Which 3G network is the best?Read - AT&T plans 20-megabit 3G by 2009
Verizon promises to play by the 700MHz open-access rules
Google's been making all kinds of a fuss lately over what it claims are Verizon's plans to subvert the intent of the 700MHz open-access rules, but it looks like the carrier isn't interested in fighting it out (for once). Verizon issued a statement today saying that it "understood the FCC's rules," and that "of course we'll abide by those rules." Of course, that doesn't really mean anything until they build out the network and we see how they actually implement open-access -- which will take years -- but once again, it seems like Google is really the one in control of the 700MHz spectrum, even though it didn't win. Crafty!
Google calls for FCC to force open access rules or block Verizon's 700MHz bid
It looks like Verizon isn't taking those 700MHz spectrum open access rules very seriously, and a certain competing bidder isn't real happy. In a petition filed with the FCC by Google, the company alleges that Verizon is willfully ignoring the "plain meaning of the [open access] rule" by suggesting it will allow one type of access for users who use Verizon-approved devices, and another for those using third-party units. According to the document, "Verizon's position would completely reverse the meaning of the rule such that the open access condition would apply to none of Verizon's customers, and thereby render the condition a nullity." The search giant is calling for the FCC to block Verizon's $4.7 billion bid on the spectrum unless the company agrees to comply with the previously-decided open access rules. Since this isn't the first inkling we've had that Verizon wasn't down with open access, we're not surprised, but it looks like Google has a little more fight left in them -- and that could make all the difference. [Warning: PDF read link][Via IP Democracy; Thanks, Bram]
Republican lawmakers say Google "gamed" 700Mhz auction
Google's plan in the 700MHz auction drama was never much of a secret: it was always assumed that the search giant would bid enough to trigger the open-access provisions, but wasn't really interested in winning, and sure enough, the company confirmed that strategy when the bidding wrapped up. Of course, news travels slow in our nation's capital, and word of Google's dastardly plan to make sure the FCC's open-access rules were triggered is apparently shocking news to a handful of Republicans, who characterized it as "gaming the system," and asked FCC chairman Kevin Martin if the agency had been "duped." Newsflash to Reps. Fred Upton (R-Mich), Cliff Stearns (R-Fla) and John Shimkus (R-Ill): the FCC, Google, and Verizon argued about this for months and analysts had a field day, remember? And then Verizon gave up the lawsuits, went crazy on the open tip, and won the auction anyway. Of course, if Verizon hadn't won, Google would have had to make good on that $4.6B bid, which isn't exactly chump change. So, who gamed what? If anything, the FCC's coffers got a little fatter than they would have otherwise, and we're pretty certain consumers will benefit from open-access, so, uh, you guys want to stop wrecking the party now? Cool.[Thanks, Scott]
Verizon announces 700MHz LTE plans -- can you wait 3 years?
Verizon just announced its plans for the open-access "C block" and other chunks of the 700MHz spectrum it purchased from the FCC for almost $10B. As expected, it's going to provide high speed, 4G services in the form of LTE in the newly acquired spectrum. Of course, the 2010 launch is the same target stated by AT&T. Verizon also claims to have increased its spectrum inventory by about 60%. Before and after auction coverage shots in the gallery below.%Gallery-19801%
Google elaborates on the C Block auction, still happy with the results
If it wasn't clear going into the auction, it's pretty much obvious now that the dust has settled: Google wasn't in the 700MHz Block C auction to win it -- though it was certainly ready to pony up the cash in the event of a win. It was conjectured that Google was driving the bidding early on, in an effort to get hit that magical 4.6 billion reserve price that would require the winner to allow open access of devices and applications to the resulting network, and now Google has confirmed that it was pretty much a Google show in the early days of the auction. Apparently ten of the bidding rounds involved Google raising its own bid, "but it was clear, then and now, that Verizon Wireless ultimately was motivated to bid higher," reads the Google Public Policy Blog. It's worth noting that Google claims it would've nabbed the C Block license "at a price somewhat higher than the reserve price," but building out a network and becoming a major player in next-gen wireless internet would certainly be a large departure for the company, and we're sure there's a bit of relief over in Mountain View, CA at the moment.
AT&T says B Block and Aloha spectrum will go to LTE
The FCC has just lifted its gag order on the gory details of the 700MHz Auction 73, and AT&T wasted absolutely no time setting up a press conference to discuss how it was planning to utilize its win in the so-called B Block. Bottom line: AT&T's moving to LTE for its 4G infrastructure -- no surprise there, since it's the natural evolution for GSM carriers -- and the purchase is designed to support that build-out. As they've said before, they're tooting their horn over the fact that the B Block action combined with the Aloha spectrum purchase gives the carrier 100 percent coverage in the 700MHz arena in the top 200 US markets, while also noting that the frequency range is stellar at breaking through walls for hot in-building coverage.As for Verizon's C Block win -- the block touted for its open access clause -- AT&T's convinced that the B Block made more sense for the very reason that it lacked those regulatory restrictions. The lack of FCC oversight is cause for some concern, yes, but AT&T continues to stress that it was "open" long before the whole C Block hullaballoo came along by virtue of the fact that any GSM device with the right bands can hop on its network.In terms of timing, the company's not really in any hurry; it wants to continue to milk HSPA for everything it's worth, promising a 7.2Mbps downlink rollout through 2009, and realistically, we'll be well into the next decade before we see wide-scale use of 700MHz LTE around these parts. A little scary for the impatient among us, we've gotta say.
Ericsson unveils M700 LTE platform for mobile devices
The same week that Nokia Siemens Networks unveiled its LTE solution for North America comes a little nugget from Ericsson: the M700. Hailed as the "world's first commercially available LTE-capable platform," it promises peak data transmissions of 100Mbps down and 50Mbps up, which will undoubtedly be the next best thing since sliced bread. Reportedly, initial devices based on the unit will be ExpressCards, USB modems, etc., and of course, it supports bandwidths between 1.4 and 20MHz and the oh-so-exciting 700MHz bands. Unfortunately, a commercial release isn't set to happen until 2009 -- with products "based on the platform" not scheduled until 2010 -- but to its credit, samples of ASICs will be ready to roll sometime this year.
The W.E. Phone -- OpenMoko-based Android device?
We're not too sure what to make of Koolu's Works Everywhere (W.E.) phone, but if the company actually manages to deliver on its spec sheet, we'll be duly impressed. It looks like the W.E. will run Android on top of a newer rev of OpenMoko's Neo1973 / FreeRunner hardware, with a VGA screen, 400Mhz processor, tri-band cell radio, WiFi, 256MB of flash, GPS, and MicroSD expansion, but we're not buying it when the company promises compatibility with 700MHz networks in the future -- Verizon hasn't really said what system it's going to deploy on its new spectrum. What's more, the website says the W.E. Phone will only be made available to Google Apps customers through wireless ISPs in the summer of 2008 -- totally fishy. Considering the day, we called and confirmed that it's real, but we'll wait for some more details before we give in to that sweet Debian tartan weave.[Thanks, Stephen]
How would you change the outcome of the 700MHz auction?
So now that the dust is settling, winners are boasting, and Auction 73 is in the record books, it's time to take a good, hard look back on what was, what is, and what could've been. As we all now know, Verizon came away with the biggest prize -- the giant Block C that will be obligated to provide open access to any device that can technically support it -- but AT&T and Echostar partner Frontier Wireless could end up making quite a stink with their Block B and E wins, respectively. So how does everyone feel about the results? Is Verizon the proper trustee for what is likely the single most important swath of wireless broadband to hit the US auction block in the foreseeable future, or would Google have been a better choice? Should AT&T have stepped up to the plate and taken a shot at Block C, or is the lower bandwidth Block B sufficient for its needs and desires? Don't be shy now!
AT&T forking over a $1.3 billion down payment for auction wins
No surprises here, but boy is that going to be a difficult expense to justify on the ol' corporate card. AT&T says it'll pay a $1.3 billion down payment to the FCC within the next 10 days to get a lock on that spectrum it just won, $500 million of which was paid up front before the auction began. The company will be pushing the remaining $5.3 billion over the counter before April 17, and is financing the purchase with funds from operations and a good bit of debt. We haven't seen a similar filing from Verizon yet, but we're guessing the company is facing similar deadlines for its $9.36 billion of spectrum.
AT&T, Verizon, and Google chime in on FCC auction aftermath
Win or lose, all the bidders wrapped up in the so-called Auction 73 for precious spectrum in the 700MHz band are still under tight FCC-imposed gag orders in an effort to stem any funny business, but it looks like they're at least ready to come out and dip their toes into the PR waters. Verizon, the biggest winner having claimed the big, wide Block C prize, says that it's "pleased with [its] auction results" (we should certainly hope so), that the new airwaves will help it maintain its "reputation as the nation's most reliable wireless network," and that they're now better positioned to lead the way with new services and devices. The megacarrier goes on to boast about the fact that its winning bids score it massive 298 million person footprint, plus another 171 million worth of licenses in different Blocks.Meanwhile, AT&T seems happy with its purchase, too -- but then again, it's not like any of these companies would be issuing immediate statements expressing buyer's remorse, we guess. The number one US carrier by subscribers reports that its newly acquired licenses, in combination with spectrum snatched from Aloha Partners earlier this year, now gives it 100 percent coverage in the 700MHz arena in the nation's top 200 markets, with "quality spectrum" (whatever that means) covering 95 percent of the American populace. For what it's worth, AT&T's Auction 73 purchases were in Block B, which has moderately less bandwidth than Verizon's Block C win -- but as they say, it's not the bandwidth of the spectrum, it's the motion of the frequencies, so we'll have to wait to see how these guys actually use these licenses before we rush to any conclusions.Finally, from its brief statement, Google appears to have gotten exactly what it wanted: nothing at all. The company says that Auction 73 "produced a major victory for American consumers" because Block C's reserve price was met -- thanks largely to Google's early bidding, it's believed -- which means that Verizon will be obligated to allow devices of all shapes, sizes, colors, and brands to participate when it flips the switch on its 700MHz network.All three companies sound like they're itching to say more as soon as the FCC allows it, so stay tuned as we try to figure out exactly what's next for the auction, the carriers, and the people who actually want to benefit from this action (read: us).Read - AT&T's statementRead - Verizon Wireless' statementRead - Google's statement
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.
700MHz auction comes to a $19.6B finish, winners still not revealed
Hear that? Yeah, that's the fat lady -- the 700MHz auction is over today, and the FCC netted $19.6B for the 1,099 licenses it put on the block. It's still not known who placed the winning $4.75B bid for the lucrative open-access 50-state C-block (probably Verizon) but hopefully we'll find out soon. There was a ton of regional action as well: a package of licenses for spectrum in Chicago went for $892.4M, another set for Newark and NYC went for $884.7M, and LA's two sets of 700MHz airwaves cost some lucky punter giant corporation $580.3M and $484M -- and if you'd scraped together $17K, you would be the king of the airwaves in American Samoa. Sadly, no one met the reserve for the public-safety D-block, so it looks like Uncle Sam's going to have to toss it in the back of the van and schlep it the old fashioned way. We doubt we'll know for sure who's got what until the gray suits manage to verify everything and make sure all the rules were followed, but it's still an historic day -- and remember, we've got all the info on what this could mean in the future right here.Update: The FCC says we'll know who won what within 10 days -- it's just like waiting for Santa, only instead of a fat man giving you presents, it's a vast government bureaucracy giving major corporations thin air![Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
White space tests fail again -- next up, conquering windmills
At this point all the snazzy new websites and re-focused marketing efforts in the world aren't going to get Google, Microsoft, and the other members of the White Spaces Coalition anywhere if they don't actually demonstrate the broadband-in-between-TV-signals tech in action -- and it looks like that's proving to be harder than expected. For the second time in seven months, a prototype device has failed testing at the hands of the FCC, although this time it wasn't because it was interfering with TV signals -- it just wouldn't stay powered on. Microsoft says the power issue is "unrelated to the technology points we're trying to prove," but as usual, those prickly pears at the NAB aren't being shy about this latest setback, calling it proof that white space broadcasts are "risky technology that has proven to be unworkable." At this point we're honestly torn -- we hate to side with the NAB and we had high hopes for the white spaces concept, but it just doesn't look like it's panning out. Maybe it's time to move on to bigger and better things, eh?
Analysts calling it in favor of... Verizon
Get your head out of election mode, people, we've got a 700MHz auction to worry about! Those in the know are saying that Verizon is sneaking away with the C block, and that Google isn't too miffed about it. Plenty of pundits were predicting that Google would stand by its word and bid up to the $4.6 billion required to ensure the block of spectrum is made "open," but they figured Google would bail on the auction at that point and hope someone else would come along to up the ante and foot the bill. From all indications, Verizon is that lucky bidder, but instead of bidding directly on the national C block, analysts believe it's been Verizon that's snapped up enough regional slices of spectrum to equal the bidding price of the C block. Under FCC rules, if regional bids outstrip the C block price, the block is divvied up and given to the respective bidders. While any proper Google fanboy would love to see the search giant get its hand on last-mile wireless spectrum and break the grasp of current service providers, it was also rather optimistic. Don't stop believing, bidding isn't over yet, but we're getting ready to hunker down for another couple decades of Verizon / AT&T rivalry.
FCC blesses sale of Aloha's 700MHz spectrum to AT&T
No, it's not that 700MHz spectrum, but the $2.5 billion sale of the airwaves to AT&T from private firm Aloha Partners could have implications as large as Auction 73's massive, open-access Block C itself. Given that Aloha's Hiwire trials for DVB-H-based mobile TV have been playing in the 700MHz arena, we suspect this could spell doom for the whole project -- and on the heels of Modeo's collapse, very likely spells doom for DVB-H on the whole in the US. Though that's great news for Qualcomm and DVB-H competitor MediaFLO, it's awful news for the prospect of a global mobile TV standard, closely (if not eerily) following what happened years back with the European Union's selection of GSM and the rise of CDMA in North America. For its part, AT&T says it's going to use its newfound airwaves -- which cover 72 of the top 100 US markets -- for "broadcast video or for two-way communications such as voice, data or multicast content." Admittedly, the "broadcast video" part of that leads us to believe that Hiwire could somehow survive the change in ownership, but with AT&T's selection of MediaFLO last year as its standard of choice, it sure ain't likely.
Open access: everything you always wanted to know, over at Engadget
Feeling frightened, confused, or tingly due to all this 700MHz auction talk and its "open access" rules? Truck on over to Engadget classic and get the full rundown on what you need to know.
Open access: everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask
Since the first rumblings of the 700MHz auction began, there's been a fair amount of confusion, doubt, and distress over just what exactly this whole thing means. With the champagne-chugging news that bids have reached the $4.6 billion reserve for the "C" block and enabled the "open access" rules in that sector of the bands -- it seems prudent to explain just exactly what we're getting into with this new chapter in the FCC-regulated airwaves saga, and what open access really means to you.
