The FCC on Tuesday issued final guidance on the upcoming assignment phase of the 5G auction of C-band spectrum. Auction 107 has generated record-breaking gross proceeds of more than $80 billion.
In the assignment phase that begins February 8, participants can bid on the frequency-specific licenses they want. Clock phase winners that don’t take part in the assignment phase will still be assigned contiguous frequencies corresponding to the number of generic blocks they won. That will enable efficient deployment of high-capacity, low-latency services, according to the agency.
“This auction has exceeded expectations, and, at this point, we are pushing forward to get this critical piece of mid-band spectrum to market quickly, where it will help American consumers tap into next generation wireless services,” said Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “Few things we do have as great an impact on the day-to-day lives of the American people as our work to ensure spectrum is available for wireless connectivity.”
Auction 107 made available licenses for 280 MHz of spectrum in the 3.7–3.98 GHz band—a portion of the C-band. The clock phase of the auction ended on January 15 with bidders winning all of the available 5,684 spectrum blocks and gross proceeds exceeding $80.9 billion.
The Assignment Phase Bidding System User Guide explains how bidders can access their assignment phase bidding options (based on their clock phase winnings),and view the sequence and timing for the assignment rounds for all Partial Economic Areas (PEAs). They can also identify the assignment rounds in which they will be eligible to participate. The Commission plans to hold a mock auction next Thursday, February 4.
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