AT&T made a deal with Aloha Partners to buy 12 megahertz of 700 MHz spectrum [1]covering 196 million people for $2.5 billion in cash. The spectrum covers 72 of the top 100 markets in the U.S. Aloha is the parent company of HiWire, a mobile TV company that had plans to launch a nationwide mobile TV service. HiWire had a trial with T-Mobile USA in Las Vegas [2]. The price paid by AT&T for the Aloha bandwidth essentially sets a value of around $1 per megahertz, per pop. That is higher than the reserve price set by the FCC rules.
To read more about AT&T's 700 MHz spectrum purchase:
- take a look at this press release [3] from the carrier
- check out this article [4] from InformationWeek
Related articles:
AT&T asks FCC to change auction rules, too [5]
iPhone a catalyst in open access debate [6]
FCC: One company can dominate 700 MHz auction [7]
Links:
[1] http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/chairmans-700-mhz-plan-sets-firestorm/2007-07-12
[2] http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/hiwire-unveils-mobile-tv-content-lineup/2007-07-19
[3] http://www.fiercewireless.com/press-releases/t-acquires-wireless-spectrum-aloha
[4] http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=CJQ2YHJHNKRYGQSNDLOSKH0CJUNN2JVN?articleID=202400650&articleID=202400650
[5] http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/att-asks-fcc-to-change-auction-rules-too/2007-09-26?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=link
[6] http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/iphone-catalyst-open-access-debate/2007-07-16
[7] http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/fcc-one-company-can-dominate-700-mhz-auction/2007-08-14