Venture capital and other investment firms are surprise players in the government’s historic auction of airwaves

Apparently, venture capital and other investment firms have been positioning themselves to enter a major auction of wireless airwaves spring 2016 that is expected to reshape the nation's communications networks. At least one local firm, Alexandria (VA)-based Columbia Capital, intends to bid on the valuable frequencies used to carry mobile voice and data, apparently. The auction of airwaves has been described by federal regulators as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that could bolster an existing wireless network, equip a new entrant to compete with the likes of Verizon Wireless and AT&T, or enable a company to develop next generation wireless technologies.

Feb 8 marks the application deadline for those who want to bid in the auction. A number of investment companies have been conducting their own analyses on the value of these airwaves in recent months, trying to determine whether they should jump in and how much they should spend. The result could be a bidding war as financial firms jockey with wireless carriers, cable companies and perhaps even some in the tech industry in an intensely competitive land rush for high-value wireless real estate.