US telecommunications company, United States Cellular Corporation, has purchased licenses worth $256.0 million in the recent FCC mm-Wave Spectrum Auctions (Auction 101 and Auction 102).
In the 28 GHz Auction (Auction 101), the company spent $129.4 million to acquire 408 licenses covering 60 percent of its subscriber base with at least 425 MHz of millimeter wave spectrum. In the 24 GHz Auction (Auction 102), the company spent $126.6 million acquiring 282 licenses covering 93 percent of its subscribers. Together the auctions allowed U.S. Cellular to acquire at least 300 MHz of spectrum in markets that serve 97 percent of its customer base.
Speaking on the eve of the Auctions, Kenneth R. Meyers, U.S. Cellular president and CEO, stated, that the company’s 5G network strategy envisions the use of a variety of spectrum bands over time. Their initial 5G deployment will be on the 600 MHz spectrum to provide enhanced broadband speed and capacity over their entire footprint with the expectation that the company will be able to augment it with mid and high band spectrum over time as the technology and use cases continue to evolve.
With their success in the millimeter wave auctions, US Cellular Corporation, can now cover most of its subscribers with at least 300 MHz of millimeter wave licenses which will enable U.S. Cellular to provide its customers with the leading edge capabilities 5G is promising. Meyers applauded the FCC for conducting these millimeter wave auctions and fully support their efforts to bring mid-band spectrum to the marketplace quickly. According to him, spectrum is the lifeblood of the industry as they continue to ensure that the companies can meet the growing demand for data services, as well as create new opportunities for new services requiring high speed, reliability and low latency.
