UPDATED: This story has been updated from an earlier version to share new numbers from the C-band auction.
WASHINGTON—The C-Band auction has pushed past $2 billion, totaling $2,110,528,700 in bids after three rounds.
Currently (Wednesday, Dec. 9), bidding is in three, one-hour rounds and the FCC has announced that Thursday's bidding will follow the same schedule, with rounds at 10-11 a.m., 1-2 p.m., and 4-5 p.m.
If past is prologue, the FCC will eventually increase the number of rounds and decrease bidding time to help speed the auction.
Fifty-seven bidders qualified for the auction (auction 107), which began Dec. 8. That list includes some familiar names: AT&T, Cellco Partnership, Cox, T-Mobile, and United States Cellular.
The FCC is auctioning 5,684 flexible-use licenses for spectrum in the 3.7– 3.98 GHz band in the contiguous U.S.
While use is flexible, bidders are expected to use it to expand their 5G footprints. There are 57 qualified bidders.
Some predictions put the value of the spectrum—280 GHz worth of mid-band frequencies—at $25 billion-$30 billion, but the C-Band Alliance says it could be worth as much as $77 billion.
