What the Millimeter Wave Auction Bidders List Reveals About Carriers’ Plans for 5G

Three of the nation’s four largest wireless carriers are poised to bid in the upcoming Federal Communications Commission auctions of millimeter wave spectrum, according to a new FCC public notice. Millimeter wave spectrum is expected to support 5G wireless services offering speeds as high as a gigabit per second or more. And although some people have argued that millimeter wave 5G is unlikely to be deployed in rural areas, several small rural carriers also are on the list of potential millimeter wave auction bidders released by the commission.

Also among the potential bidders are US Cellular, the nation’s largest regional wireless carrier; along with Cox Communications, Frontier Communications, Windstream and others. Carriers expect to use a mixture of millimeter wave and lower-frequency spectrum to support 5G. AT&T and Verizon already have some millimeter wave spectrum holdings and their initial 5G deployment plans involve that spectrum, but undoubtedly the carriers are looking to expand those holdings. Some people have argued that the short range that millimeter wave spectrum can support makes it unsuitable for deployment in sparsely populated rural areas. Nevertheless, some rural carriers appear on the lists of potential millimeter wave auction bidders.