Bidding for 2.5 GHz Auction to Begin July 29

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FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel recently said the next auction of mid-band spectrum would start in July and now we know the date — July 29. The agency says that’s when bidding will begin for about 8,000 2.5 GHz licenses for 5G services.

Auction 108 will have an ascending clock format for the new flexible-use, county-based overlay licenses in the 2496-2690 MHz band. The Commission says this is its first-ever auction of overlay licenses. In the Notice, the agency explains, “With overlay licenses, licensees obtain the rights to geographic area licenses ‘overlaid’ on top of the existing incumbent licenses. As with an ordinary flexible-use license, the overlay licensee may operate anywhere within its geographic area, subject to protecting the licensed areas (i.e., circular Geographic Service Areas with a 35-mile radius) of incumbent licensees.” 

The licenses to be auctioned are in areas with unassigned 2.5 GHz spectrum—mostly rural parts of the country. This auction follows disposition of applications filed in the Rural Tribal Priority Window. So far, the agency has granted 335 licenses to Tribal communities.  

“We are readying the launch of the next 5G mid-band spectrum auction, following close on the heels of the recent, successful 3.45 GHz auction,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “The 2.5 GHz band auction can help deliver on the promise of 5G services and ensure that it reaches as many people as possible.” She added this auction provides a chance to fill in some of the 5G gaps in rural areas.

In a Public Notice, the FCC adopted application and bidding procedures. In establishing procedures the agency addressed many complex issues, from wrapping up the first Tribal priority window to questions involving license inventory, given the unique history. widespread existing deployments in the band, and extensive secondary market arrangements. 

The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and the Office of Economics and Analytics debuted a mapping tool that can be used to help assess whether and to what extent there is unassigned 2.5 GHz spectrum available in any county nationwide. Find the mapping tool, as well as instructions, under the Education tab on the Auction 108 website.

In addition to the explanation above, overlay licenses must also protect the operations of incumbent licensees that receive their licenses through applications filed in the Rural Tribal Priority Window, which closed in September 2020. The Commission continues to process pending Tribal applications, which it says could mean removing a small number of additional licenses from the inventory before the opening of the Auction 108 short-form application filing window. 

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