US regulators hold another 5G spectrum auction, with AT&T and T-Mobile spending big.
AT&T, Dish Network and T-Mobile were the big winners at the most recent auction of 5G spectrum in the US. The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) sale of mid-range 3.45GHz licences raised $22 million for the US government, making it one of the highest-grossing auctions of spectrum ever in the country. AT&T will pay $91 billon, Dish $7.3 billion, and T-Mobile $2.9 billion. Verizon Wireless was conspicuous by its absence from the process. While major communications providers were the biggest spenders, licenses for a range of categories were up for grabs. The FCC said it was pleased at the substantial increase in the number of winning bids per market and noted that 13 of the 33 winners classified as small businesses or those that served rural communities.
