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Verizon Outbids AT&T For Nationwide 5G Wireless Spectrum (theverge.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the can-you-hear-me-now dept.

Verizon has agreed to pay $3.1 billion for wireless spectrum holder Straight Path Communications, beating out rival AT&T, which had offered to buy Straight Path for $1.6 billion in stock. Verizon's acquisition will give it access to the frequencies necessary to build a 5G network across the U.S. The Verge reports: The news that AT&T was aiming to buy the Glen Allen, VA-based Straight Path was first reported last month, prompting a bidding war between the carriers that the WSJ describes as "unusually intense." Straight Path's purchase gives Verizon access to millimeter wave frequencies that are set to be used by 5G networks across the United States, making it a useful purchase from the start. Experts have also noted that the company's owner may also be afforded even more spectrum in future auctions with the FCC, potentially giving Verizon access to the entire 39GHz band down the line.

8 of 34 comments (clear)

  1. Well now, this can't be good by rsilvergun · · Score: 2

    either Verizon over extended itself and is now ripe for the picking (e.g. merger, which with our current administration is a very real possibility) or they're gonna jack prices like crazy. Either way this won't end well.

    --
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  2. Bye Bye fiber, we loved you so by Dorianny · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Well this all but puts the proverbial gravestone on FIOS expansion

    1. Re: Bye Bye fiber, we loved you so by WarJolt · · Score: 2

      You're assuming that current bandwidth demands are adequate for future technology. At one point it 56kbps was considered fast. I'd argue that we've yet to invent the next bandwidth hogging media. It's going to make Netflix look like a joke. FIOS is still necessary to offload the wireless spectrum.

    2. Re: Bye Bye fiber, we loved you so by Dorianny · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Oh the cherry picked, high income neighborhoods will still get Fiber to home but the rest will be stuck with whatever speed you can get. Your neighbor doesn't want to keep his trees pruned, well tough luck, not their problem. No line of sight between your apartment and the access point, put in a request and maybe in 10 years they will put up another tower

    3. Re:Bye Bye fiber, we loved you so by AHuxley · · Score: 2

      Wireless is all PR fun until a company runs out of other peoples spectrum.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  3. Interesting we are the only 39GHz user in our area by pcjunky · · Score: 3, Interesting

    About a year ago we got approached by Straight-Path with a deal. They would give us a pair of 39GHz radios if we would deploy them in this area. Seems no one in this area was using any of their licensed 39GHz spectrum and they were at risk of losing their license due to non-use. It is spectrum that is rather hard to utilize in any area that gets much rain. Links over 1 mile with even 2 foot dishes would drop in even moderate rain (too much absorption), and a wet leaf would almost completely block the signal. This is the reason almost no one in Florida uses this spectrum. I can't imagine what Verizon thinks they can do with it as it's seems useless for providing any kind of cell service. Even if used to back haul point to point links it's range is extremely limited.

    We did in the end enter the deal and deploy them on a 300 meter link that has perfect line of sight. At that range they work pretty well.

  4. Regrettable, more CDMA. by Zombie+Ryushu · · Score: 2

    As someone who has been an international GSM Traveller, it makes me sick how the US Doubles down on CDMA. CDMA is severely patent encumbered, only one company can legally make CDMA Radios. CDMA is not supported outside the US.

    CDMA makes getting unlocked Phones prohibitively expensive. The carriers charge more, its just a big scam. If the FCC carried about USians, they would mandate GSM for all carriers, and discontinue CDMA

  5. Nobody should "own" spectrum by AK+Marc · · Score: 2

    The government should start a non-profit corporation not unlike the FDIC. "owned" by the federal government (FCC) and run by a joint government/private cooperative. All standards should be carrier independent. Towers, spectrum and connections to POPs should be 100% owned by the FSMC (Federal Spectrum Management Corp). The carriers can buy calls from the FSMC. All connections will be equal, and the competition will be for the best customer service and other things separate from the technical details.

    Selling a shared resource for a private corporation to profit off of is a bad idea, and rarely works out well.

    --
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