The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is in the process of auctioning off what is widely considered to be the best performing radio spectrum ever sold. Formerly used by analog television stations, this 700MHz spectrum auction has already received bids near 13 Billion dollars. The entire push toward digital (high definition) television was forced by the FCC and Congress, which made the TV stations vacate the spectrum by this time next year. In most markets, they have already made the transition, making the spectrum available.

When existing wireless operators buy new spectrum, it doesn't always end up as new tower sites. Often, they add new channels to existing sites and increase their capacity. It's great for wireless users, but not necessarily for property owners looking for a long-term tower tenant.

In this auction, however, there are some newcomers to the auction who do not provide wireless service yet. These recent market entrants will need to build a network from scratch, and that almost certainly will require new tower and rooftop sites. The most notable newcomer is Google. Google committed to spending at least 4.6 Billion dollars on one swath of spectrum, which reached its reserve price within the last 24 hours - it will sell.

All this means that it's very likely that the 200,000 wireless towers in the United States will have some friends starting next year. Maybe one will end up on your self-storage site.

towerguy

If you have an interest in learning more about who's bidding, and what's for sale, try this link RCR Wireless News: First with carrier, distributor, network, handset and mobile content news. RCR News is a widely-read industry journal, and has some great detail on the auction.

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Over 1000 towers served and growing.

According to RCR News, the following companies have been qualified to bid in the 700MHz FCC acutions. If you look closely, you may gain some idea of new development coming to your area.

Here is a complete list of those applicants that have been "qualified" by the FCC to bid in the 700 MHz auction.

585 Consortium
ACS Wireless License Sub, Inc.
Adams Telcom, Inc.
Advance/Newhouse Partnership
Agri-Valley Communications, Inc.
AlasConnect, Inc.
Alltel Corporation
Aristotle Inc.
AST Telecom, LLC
AT&T Mobility Spectrum, LLC
AWS Spectrum, LLC
Bascom Long Distance, Inc.
Bay Electronics, Inc.
Bayou Internet, Inc.
BEK Communications Cooperative
Bend Cable Communications, LLC
Blanca Telephone Company
Blaze Broadband LLC Y
Blue Valley Tele-Communications, Inc.
BlueBird Telecommunications Ltd.
Bluegrass Wireless LLC
Bluewater Wireless, L.P.
BPS Telephone Company
Bresnan Communications, Inc.
Broadband Wireless Unlimited, LLC
Budget Phone
Buffalo-Lake Erie Wireless Systems Co., L.L.C.
Buggs Island Telephone Cooperative
C&W Enterprises, Inc.
Cable Montana LLC
Cascade Access, L.L.C.
Cavalier Wireless, LLC
Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless
(Although Verizon Wireless is the second largest wireless carrier by subscribers, there are still areas of the US which they do not cover)
Cellular South Licenses, Inc.
Central Texas Telephone Investments, LP
Central Wisconsin Communications, Inc.
CenturyTel Broadband Wireless LLC
Chariton Valley Communication Corporation, Inc.
Chequamegon Communications Cooperative, Inc.
Chester Telephone Company
CHEVRON USA INC.
(I found this very interesting. What do you do with record oil profits... apparently you buy wireless licenses)
Choice Phone LLC
Churchill County Telephone d/b/a CC Communications
Cincinnati Bell Wireless LLC
(Cincinnati Bell purchased spectrum in the last auction covering much of the State of Indiana, and 3 counties in Illinois)
Citizens Mutual Telephone Cooperative
Club 42 CM Limited Partnership
COLI INc
Columbia Cellular, Inc.
Command Connect, LLC
Comporium Wireless, LLC
Computer Techniques, Inc.
ComSouth Tellular, Inc.
Continuum 700 LLC
Copper Valley Wireless, Inc.
Corn Belt Telephone Company, Inc.
Cox Wireless, Inc.
Cricket Licensee 2007, LLC
Cross Telephone Company, LLC
CRT Holdings, Inc.
CSC Spectrum Holdings LLC
CSConnect Inc.
CTC Telcom, Inc.
Cumby Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
Danville Mutual Telephone Company
Data-Max Wireless LLC
Day Management Corporation
Delmarva Broadband LLC
Dragon Arch, Inc.
East Ascension Telephone Company, LLC
East Kentucky Network, LLC
Eastern Colorado Wireless II, LLC
Ellijay Telephone Company
Farmers Telecommunications Cooperative, Inc.
Farmers Telephone Company, Inc.
Fidelity Communications Company
First Mile Holdings, Inc.
FMTC Wireless, Inc.
Forum Communications Company
Frontier Wireless LLC
FTC Management Group, Inc.
FWC Communications, Inc.
Glass, Laurence B
Glenwood Telephone Membership, Corporation
Gold Radio Group, LLC
Golden Belt Telephone Association, Inc.
Google Airwaves Inc.
(I think Google may have the leading bid in the "C" block, though there is no way to be sure right now)
Grand River Communication, Inc.
Granite State Long Distance, Inc.
(Any New Hampshire facilities reading this?)
Great American Broadband, Inc.
Green Hills Area Cellular Telephone, Inc.
GreenFly LLC
Guam Cellular & Paging Y
H & B Communications, Inc.
Hemingford Cooperative Telephone Company
Horry Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
Huxley Communications Corp.
I-700, LLC
IdeaOne Telecom Group, LLC
Independents Fiber Network, LLC
Inland Cellular Telephone Company
Iowa Intelegra Consortium, LLC
Iowa Telecommunications Services, Inc.
James Valley Cooperative Telephone Company
Kaplan Telephone Company, Inc.
Kinex Networking Solutions, Inc.
King Street Wireless, L.P.
Kingdom Telephone Company
KTC AWS Limited Partnership
Kurian, Thomas K
Lackawaxen Long Distance Company, Inc.
LCDW Wireless Limited Partnership
Lexcom, Inc.
Ligtel Communications, Inc.
LL License Holdings, LLC
Lynch Wireless Broadband Company, LLC
MAC Wireless, LLC
Manti Telephone Company
maxima international llc
MCBRIDE SPECTRUM PARTNERS, LLC
McDonald County Telephone Company
Mediapolis Telephone Company
MetroPCS 700 MHz, LLC
MH Telecom, LLC
Mid-Missouri Telephone Company
Midwest AWS Limited Partnership
Miles Communications Corp
Miller, David
Missouri Valley Wireless, LLC
MTA Communications, Inc.
MTN3B Consortium
Muenster Telephone Corporation of Texas
Mulberry Cooperative Telephone Company, Inc
Muskrat Wireless, LP
N.E. Colorado Wireless Technologies, Inc.
NatTel, LLC
Neptuno Media
New Ulm Telecom, Inc.
North Dakota Network Company
Northeast Missouri Rural Telephone Company
Northeast Nebraska Telephone Company
Northern Iowa Communications Partners, LLC
Northern New Mexico Telecom, Inc.
Northwest Missouri Cellular Limited Partnership
NSIGHTTEL WIRELESS, LLC
Nunn Communications, LLC
Palmetto Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
Panhandle Telecommunication Systems, Inc.
Paul Bunyan Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
PBP Bidco LLC
PCS Partners, L.P.
Piedmont Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
Pine Cellular Phones, Inc.
Pioneer Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
Poka Lambro Telecommunications, LTD
Polar Communications Mutual Aid Corporation
PTI Pacifica, Inc.
Public Service Wireless Services, Inc.
Puerto Rico Telephone Company, Inc.
Pulse Mobile LLC
PVT Networks, Inc.
QUALCOMM Incorporated
(If you use Sprint or Verizon Wireless for your wireless, you can thank Qualcomm's CDMA technology for the clarity of your calls. Qualcomm is developing a mobile-phone based television/video service, which would require a new network)
Rainbow Telecommunications Association, Inc.
Red River Rural Telephone Association, Inc.
Redwood Wireless Corp.
Reiter, Scott D
Robinson, Jack E
RONAN TELEPHONE COMPANY
Rural Telephone Service Company, Inc.
SAL Spectrum, LLC
Sandhill Communications, LLC
SeaBytes, L.L.C.
Sierra Cellular, Inc.
Siskiyou Telephone Company
Sky Com 700 MHZ, LLC
Slopeside Internet
Small Ventures USA, L.P.
Socket Telecom LLC
Spectrum Acquisitions, Inc.
Star Telephone Membership Corporation
Surry Telecommunications, Inc.
TCT West, Inc.
The Chillicothe Telephone Company
The Pioneer Telephone Association, Inc.
The Ponderosa Telephone Co.
The S&T Telephone Cooperative Association, Inc.
The Tri-County Telephone Association, Inc.
The World Company
Three River Telco
Toba Inlet PCS, LLC
Towerstream Corporation
Tri-Valley Communications, LLC
Triad 700, LLC
Union Telephone Company
United Wireless Communications Inc.
USA Broadband LLC
USA Choice Internet Services Company LLC
Valley Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
Van Buren Wireless, Inc.
Vavasi NexGen Inc.
VentureTel 700, Inc.
Vermont Telephone Company, Inc.
Vulcan Spectrum LLC
(Owned by former MicroSoft employee and billionaire Paul Allen)
Washington County Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc
West Carolina Communications, LLC
West Wisconsin Telcom Cooperative, Inc.
Western Iowa Telephone Association
Whidbey Telephone Company
Wireless Communications Venture
world network international services Inc.
Worldcall Inc.
WUE, Inc.
WWW Broadband, LLC
Xanadoo 700 MHz DE, LLC
Xpressweb Internet Services, Inc.

towerguy

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Over 1000 towers served and growing.

Towerguy;

Just a quick note to thank you for sharing all of this information with everyone Are you planning on being at the ISS Expo next week in Vegas? I love to have a chance to sit and talk.

MisterJim444

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Learning Never Ends

MJ444:

You have mail from me.

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Over 1000 towers served and growing.

The FCC spectrum auction has broken the 19 Billion dollar Amount. Original estimates were that about 15 Billion dollars total would be brought in for the United States Treasury, so this is a welcome development. WHenever bidders are willing to invest in spectrum, the most important part of wireless delivery, it shows that things are healthy in the companies bidding.

There is still no word on who the winning bidders are, because the auction is being conducted without bidder names. Once the auction is closed, I will post information about the highlights, including the areas where new cell sites will need to be constructed.

I hope that you're enjoying the ISS Expo.

towerguy

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Over 1000 towers served and growing.

The auction has reached roughly the 19.5 Billion dollar amount, and is slowing down considerably. Many pundits believe that the auction will end in the next few days.

Following completion of the auction, we'll have much better information about the winning bidders and the license markets.

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Over 1000 towers served and growing.

The FCC has finally declared the 700 MHz auction closed. Nearly 20 Billion Dollars were raised for the US Treasury, which should almost cover the bills for the 2008 Presidential Election.

The FCC has 10 days before they need to release the winning bidders, but once they do, I will take an in-depth look at the winners and try to see where there will be new markets to launch, which is the best possibility for self-storage owners/managers to land your own cell-tower.

Stay Tuned...

towerguy

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Over 1000 towers served and growing.

Towerguy, this is great information, thank you. We have a tower on our site and we have the right to allow co-locating on it with any other cell provider other than the one that installed the tower. How likely is that to actually happen? Is that something we should pursue if there is a demand for it? It would certainly be much easier for a company to co-locate on an existing tower than go through the process of approvals and construction on a new one. Does this ever happen?

Thanks!

Storman:

I am happy to help you try and locate other companies with wireless licenses in your area, and then the vendors working for them.

On an FCC auction note, Verizon Wireless and AT&T appear to be the largest winning bidders. We still need to see full details for the auction, but for development purposes, I had hoped to see the spectrum end up in smaller companies' hands. We will yet find some new markets, but perhaps not as many as we had hoped.

towerguy

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Over 1000 towers served and growing.