C-Band Alliance: You Want an Auction for Valuable Spectrum? We’ll Give You One

Four satellite companies known as the C-Band Alliance have enlisted a spectrum auction expert to develop a plan for an auction of spectrum in the coveted spectrum band known as the C-band. The alliance – comprised of Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat and Telesat — has outlined that plan to the Federal Communications Commission and a white paper with more details about the C-Band Alliance auction proposal is expected to be released soon. The entire band is comprised of 500 MHz of spectrum in total and is considered “mid-band” spectrum, a band that wireless network operators are expected to use to support 5G deployments. The idea of current license holders sharing auction proceeds with the government is not a new one. That approach was used in a previous auction of TV broadcast spectrum. What would be unprecedented is having a private entity, rather than the FCC, in charge of the auction. According to the C-Band Alliance, the advantage of this approach is that spectrum could be made available for 5G deployments more quickly, helping the U.S. to remain on the vanguard of 5G technology.