AT&T is seeking federal approval sell 16 of its licenses in the 600 MHz band to a Florida firm.
The companies filed the request with the Federal Communications Commission last month and said the deal would support “investment in the nation’s wireless infrastructure and the deployment of next-generation networks.”
RCRWireless noted that the buyer, LB License Co., is linked to a private equity group that backed a smaller bidder in the government’s spectrum auction in the 600 MHz band.
T-Mobile, which acquired more than 1,500 licenses at a total cost of $8 billion, was by far the largest bidder in that auction. AT&T, by contrast, spent $910 million to acquire 23 licenses.
Although the proposed sale would see AT&T part with the majority of those licenses, the telecom giant is currently preparing to build infrastructure for a nationwide public safety network in the 700 MHz band.
The FCC filing listed licenses in 12 metro areas: San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Dallas, Atlanta, Phoenix, Seattle, Minneapolis, Tampa, St. Louis, Salt Lake City and Columbus, Ohio.
Filed Under: Telecommunications (Spectrum)
