Robert Cringely on 700-MHz Spectrum Auction
Been watching this with a great deal of interest, and wanted to pass along a good article in case you weren't aware of the ramifications of this auction. Simply put, one of the last wide-ranging/penetrating wireless spectrum chunks is coming up for auction. The plans of the eventual winner will have a huge impact on how (and whether) we can expect to see a useful nationwide broadband network anytime soon here in the US.
Why are all these companies so excited? Because the 60 MHz of spectrum that’s about to be auctioned is the last prime real estate for mobile communications that will be available in the U.S. for decades to come. And it lies in the 700-MHz band substantially below the 800- to 850-MHz and 1900-MHz frequencies already used for U.S. mobile phones. In this case lower is better since 700-MHz signals propagate better, spreading farther and penetrating buildings more easily than higher frequencies. This greater range means that each 700-MHz cellular antenna can service a larger footprint, which means fewer cells (those interlocking service areas that a “cellular” network is made up of) will be required overall. That should, theoretically, make it cheaper—$5 billion cheaper according to some estimates—to build a national wireless network.