US raises USD 7.6 billion in auction of 37, 39, 47 GHz bands for 5G

The US FCC announced it's completed the auction of the upper 37 GHz, 39 GHz and 47 GHz bands, which started on 10 December 2019. The auction of 5G spectrum attracted total bids of USD 7.56 billion, and bidders won 99.9 percent of the licences on offer. 

A total of 35 companies qualified for bidding in the auction. The winners will be known after a second round of bidding on specific frequency blocks in the assignment phase of the auction.  

US operators, as well as vendors such as Ericsson, Intel, Nokia and Huawei, have already been testing these bands for 5G services, with plans particularly advanced for the 39 GHz band. AT&T is expected to use the 39 GHz band to boost its 5G coverage in urban areas. The company lost out in a bidding war in 2018 with Verizon to acquire significant holdings in the range with the company Straight Path.