In line with expectations US DTH operator Dish Network has been confirmed as the acquirer of every single H-block spectrum licence the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) auctioned last month.
The tender concluded last week after bids reached the…
In line with expectations US DTH operator Dish Network has been confirmed as the acquirer of every single H-block spectrum licence the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) auctioned last month.
The tender concluded last week after bids reached the US$1.564bn reserve price.
Dish was the only major player which registered to take part in the auction for 10 MHz blocks of paired airwaves on the 1915 MHz to 1920 MHz bands and the 1995 MHz to 2000 MHz bands.
The process closed after 167 rounds of bids since the tender started on 22 January.
Last week BTIG Research analyst Walter Piecyk commented that “the closing price [was] pretty strong evidence that this was more of a negotiated deal with the FCC, rather than an auction”.
The H-block licences are complimentary to Dish’s existing holdings as it owns a significant amount of spectrum between the neighbouring 2000 MHz and 2200 MHz bands.
The DTH giant has been amassing spectrum for some time but is yet to build out a network and is keeping its options open.
