Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure recently suggested the company might participate in the forthcoming auction for 600MHz spectrum if it is allowed to bid jointly with smaller carriers. Claure made the remarks during a roundtable discussion at the Competitive Carrier Association’s Global Expo in Atlanta.
“Hopefully the rules of the auction will allow us to participate,” said Marcelo, noting the incentive auction will be a “great opportunity for us to lobby together to potentially form a coalition to go after this spectrum together.”
The 600MHz low-band spectrum is valued highly because of its propagation characteristics. Sprint said CCA members operate regional networks in areas it doesn’t provide coverage, and vice versa. Allowing them to bid together would be advantageous to all involved and might let them actually win the licenses. T
The FCC hasn’t finalized the rules for the auction yet, but it is scheduled to begin early next year. Surely AT&T and Verizon Wireless, which already own vast sums of low-band spectrum, will oppose any rules that might limit their participation or prevent them from competing for the licenses.
