Faded satellite star LightSquared headed for auction block in November

The long saga of satellite operator LightSquared’s quest to become a cellular carrier may come to an end soon with an auction for the company’s assets scheduled for late November 2013.

The assets, most importantly its spectrum licenses, will be auctioned off Nov 25, according to an order by a New York bankruptcy court. The lead bidder in the auction is L-Band Acquisition, a company linked to satellite TV operator Dish Network that has offered $2.2 billion for the company. It’s unlikely the auction will draw any bidders that will stop Dish from taking over LightSquared, because the company’s spectrum is particularly well matched to Dish’s needs, said TMF Associates analyst Tim Farrar.