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DISH Network's small spectrum buy leaves analysts perplexed
Although AT&T, Verizon and the rest of the telco gang stole the limelight (and threw down some serious coinage) at the conclusion of the recent spectrum auction, little ole DISH Network managed to get in on the action, too. Apparently the satellite provider scooped up 6MHz of bandwidth that would cover around 75-percent of the US, but analysts are still scratching their heads trying to figure out why. Its sliver would reportedly enable it to launch a mobile TV service, though most assume it wouldn't jump in with a number of providers already out there trying to stay afloat. It could also use its winnings to enable STBs to report viewing habits and utilize two-way services without being hooked up to a phone line. Nevertheless, Craig Moffett, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, asserts that there are simply "more questions than answers at this point," so we reckon we'll just keep on testing our patience for now.
UK's Ofcom follows FCC, agrees to sell off public radio spectrum
UK regulator Ofcom has already given some indication that it intended to follow the FCC and sell off some public radio spectrum of its own, and it now looks like its really about to get the ball rolling, with it giving the official go-ahead for some key spectrum to be sold off through a "market mechanism." As The Independent reports, that spectrum could wind up netting as much as £20 billion (or just under $40 billion) when all is said and done, with the Ministry of Defence (which holds about 75% of it) likely to be the biggest beneficiary. It'll likely still be a while before all those pounds start changing hands, however, with Ofcom still undecided about new regulations for the spectrum and the exact mechanism for selling off the spectrum not yet in place.
700MHz band: future home to worldwide mobile broadband standard
If you've been losing sleep over not knowing precisely what was going to happen to all that spectrum space that will be freed up when the imminent analog-to-digital cutover takes place, your insomnia is about to be (at least partially) cured. The US of A apparently pushed hard for a worldwide consensus on spectrum use -- suggesting that a common approach was more reasonable than each nation choosing separate frequencies for next-generation services -- and sure enough, it ended up getting exactly what it wanted. Apparently, the 700MHz band will now be reserved for a mobile broadband standard accessible throughout much of the globe, including most of North America, Central America, South America, Europe, China, India, South Korea and Japan. Of note, Europe was able to land a concession that enables it to offer up "about half of the bandwidth available for mobile services in their region" compared to what is offered elsewhere, but the agreement definitely makes the forthcoming auction that much more interesting.[Via RCRNews, image courtesy of toddemslie]
