U. S. Wireless Airwaves Auction

On Thursday (1/31/08), a bid of $4.71 billion was offered for a key slice of wireless airwaves being auction by the government. The "C" block spectrum is valuable because it transports 700-megahertz signals that can go long distances. FCC rules for the sale of this "slice of wireless" are that it must be made accessible to any device or software application. "The open-access condition on the C-block spectrum is important because U.S. wireless carriers have traditionally restricted the models of cell phones that can be used on their networks and limited the software that can be downloaded onto them, such as ring tones, music or Web browser software." Speculation is that the highest bidder is either Google or Verizon Wireless.

SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Peter Kaplan
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSWBT00827920080131