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UK pins the slow move to LTE on carriers, Australia targets auctions for April 2013
Aussies and Brits have been waiting awhile for either a truly broad LTE launch or to get any LTE at all. That wait is coming to an end, but not without some grousing. UK Minister for Culture Ed Vaizey has alleged that any slow movement stemmed from carriers that have "threatened to sue" regulator Ofcom if it's too hasty and does something they frown upon. Needless to say, that remark has ruffled a few feathers: one of the earliest expected British LTE providers, Everything Everywhere, tells Pocket-lint it has "no appetite" to take Ofcom to court and drag 4G deployments through the mud. Things are going a little more smoothly in Australia, if on a later timetable. The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, now expects Australia to auction off 700MHz and 2.5GHz wireless frequencies in April 2013. That could lead to a very long wait for wider 4G service in the country, but at least the 700MHz support will be good news for device makers that don't want to be mired in disputes over LTE devices they've brought over from the US.
Verizon selling 700MHz spectrum, but only if government approves its AWS purchase
Seems odd that Verizon would decide to sell off some of it's wireless spectrum considering it told the FCC that it doesn't have enough space for its future LTE needs. Yet Big Red's doing just that, pledging to pawn off its 700MHz A and B licenses should its purchase of AWS spectrum from a contingent of cable companies be approved by the FCC and DOJ. Why would Verizon do such a thing? It appears that the 700MHz upper C band (where VZW's LTE service currently resides) combined with the new AWS licenses will provide Big Red the bandwidth it needs. Plus, selling off some of its other spectrum will surely grease the wheels with the governmental powers that be, and perhaps even assuage Verizon's competition arrayed against its AWS acquisition. Of course, the A and B licenses being offered for sale don't blanket the nation, but they do cover quite a few large metropolitan markets. Check out the full list after the break. [Tower photo via Shutterstock]
Verizon lights LTE in 19 new locales today
We had a good feeling that June 16th would be remembered for new thrills. In addition to America's first roller coaster opening at Coney Island in 1884, Verizon and T-Mobile are blanketing large swaths of users in 4G waves today. For Big Red's part, it's lighting up the 700 MHz spectrum in 19 metropolitan areas, including: Fresno, Sacramento, Spokane, Boise, Salt Lake City, Dayton, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee and Hartford, and expanding coverage in San Francisco and Detroit. If you're disappointed that your city wasn't mentioned, hit the break for the full list -- there's ten more cities in the PR. As for progress, Verizon claims its LTE coverage extends to 74 locales as of today, which puts the company halfway toward its goal of 147 cities by year's end. Not a bad use for Block C purchases, eh?
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]
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.
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, 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
Google slams Verizon over 700MHz auction rules
For something as incredibly boring as the FCC's 700MHz spectrum auction -- look, large corporations battling it out over arcane regulations! -- Google and Verizon have somehow managed to hold our interest. They keep spouting off catty little remarks like the one Google posted on its public policy blog yesterday in response to all the lobbying Verizon's been doing lately. Responding to the big V's claim that open-access rules are met simply because consumers can potentially buy unlocked handsets from non-carrier parties, Google's team shot back that Verizon was ignoring "the realities of the US wireless market," and making arguments that are "simply contrary to what the FCC's new rules actually say." Verizon hasn't said anything in return yet, but we expect them to TP the Googleplex any day now.[Via GigaOm]
