The FCC’s auction of 28 GHz band spectrum licenses will enter the third stage when bidding resumes tomorrow morning.
Bidding in Auction 101 was temporarily suspended Monday (Jan. 14), because of severe snowy weather conditions that forced federal government offices in Washington, D.C. to close for the day.
Although the FCC has ceased most of its other operations due to the ongoing partial federal government shutdown, the 5G spectrum auction presses on since it’s funded through proceeds and not government funds.
With bidding in the millimeter wave spectrum auction scheduled to start back up again Tuesday morning, the FCC plans to transition to stage three of the auction. Stage three requires a bidder to be active on 100 percent of its current bidding eligibility in each round to avoid using an activity rule waiver or have its eligibility reduced. More information here.
Forty qualified bidders are participating and 3,072 county-based licenses are up for grabs in two 425 megahertz blocks of spectrum at 27.5-27.925 GHz and 27.925-28.350 GHz. After 31 days of bidding, 2,934 items have received provisionally winning bids (PWB), totaling about $695 million. Less than a handful of PWB have topped the $10 million mark, and about a dozen licenses have gone for as little as $200.
Pairs of licenses in five separate locations have garnered the 10 highest PWB so far:
- Two licenses in Dane, Wis., received respective PWB of $12.5 million and $11.4 million
- Two items covering Honolulu, Hawaii raised $10.27 million and $10.06 million
- Two in Linn, Iowa: $9.96 million and $9.8 million
- Two in Kern, Calif.: $8.7 million and $8.59 million
- Two licenses in Hidalgo, Texas: $8.17 million and $7.18 million
This spectrum auction isn’t a blockbuster in terms of amounts raised (compared to previous auctions where totals were in the billions), but there may be more activity at the upcoming 24 GHz auction.
