The 700 MHz auction ended on Tuesday after 30+ days, 261 rounds, and $19.5 billion pledged. The speculation now shifts to who won the spectrum, and what will they do with it. Industry consensus is that the auction did not produce a new nationwide competitior for wireless service, like say a Google or someone else. The usual suspects of AT&T and/or Verizon are the likely winners of the coveted C block spectrum, which conceivably could have introduced a new national player in the wireless arena. There is potential for competitors at the local level of several markets through spectrum obtained in the B blocks. As time unfolds, and the FCC reveals the results, we’ll be in a much better position to understand the competitive implications of this record breaking (in terms of dollars pledged) spectrum auction. Stay tuned.
