U.S. cable operators have three decades worth of experience as owners of spectrum assets, and likely have learned from experience that commercializing such spectrum takes some work, especially when there are many other demands on management effort and capital. That might explain why only Cox Communications appears ready to bid on new 24-GHz and 28-GHz mobile spectrum up for auction by the Federal Communications Commission.
One reason cable operators likely are more interested in 3.5-GHz spectrum is that their overall vision likely relies more heavily on Wi-Fi and unlicensed spectrum, at least in terms of assets they can use in a variety of ways (best effort, not necessarily licensed use).
Not many remember it now, but a consortium of U.S. cable companies in 1994 partnered with Sprint to explore launching mobile services using new “Personal Communications Service” (PCS) spectrum.
In 2006, cable operators, acting as “SpectrumCo,” acquired nationwide assets in the Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) auction. The partners eventually sold the spectrum to Verizon, in return for ability to buy wholesale spectrum from Verizon to support branded mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) operations.
AT&T might have considered becoming a bigger bidder for more 28-GHz assets had it been able to acquire Straight Path, which instead was grabbed by Verizon.
Verizon has licenses representing as much as 236 billion MHz-POPs in the 28 GHz band and and 180 billion MHz-POPs worth of capacity in the 39 GHz bands.
AT&T has licensed representing about 40 billion MHz-POPs in the 28-GHZ band and eight billion MHz-POPs worth of capacity in the 39 GHz band.
A Megahertz POP represents one megahertz of bandwidth passing one person in the coverage area.
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