Wireless industry groups and EchoStar suppliers are voicing some concerns and opposition to SpaceX's proposed purchase of EchoStar's AWS-4, AWS H-block and AWS-3 block licenses, according to FCC filings in docket 25-302 this week. EchoStar has struck spectrum rights deals with SpaceX and AT&T to end a pair of FCC investigations into its use of the 2 GHz band and the deadline extensions it received for its 5G network buildout (see 2505130003).
NTIA should look beyond the 2.7-2.9 GHz, 4.4-4.9 GHz and 7.25-7.4 GHz bands to midband spectrum above 7.4 GHz as it searches for spectrum to use for 6G deployments, wrote John Kuzin, Qualcomm's senior vice president of spectrum policy and regulatory counsel, in a blog post Tuesday. Mobile data demands are only going to grow and will require additional spectrum, he noted. If a particular band can't be shared, the FCC and NTIA should consider using auction proceeds to fund relocating the incumbents, who might be able to operate more effectively in less spectrum with equipment updates, he said.
Chairman Charlie Ergen and others from EchoStar met with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and his aides to emphasize that the company didn’t want to sell its spectrum licenses to AT&T and SpaceX (see 2509090036) but was left with little choice, according to an ex parte filing posted Thursday. Meanwhile, EchoStar and AT&T jointly defended the deal in a separate filing posted Thursday in docket 25-303.
AT&T told the DOJ that it needs to buy “unused 3.45 GHz and underutilized 600 MHz Spectrum” from EchoStar to compete in an increasingly competitive wireless market, according to documents filed at the FCC. AT&T's arguments to DOJ were submitted to the FCC at commission staff’s request and posted Tuesday in docket 25-303. The company recently said it has already started to deploy the 3.45 GHz licenses it bought from EchoStar (see 2511170023), adding coverage to nearly 23,000 cellsites in a matter of weeks.
SBA Communications on Monday became the last of the three major U.S. tower companies to report Q3 earnings, releasing results after the close of the financial markets. In recent calls, American Tower and Crown Castle executives were positive on the outlook for their sector as U.S. carriers continue to deploy 5G.
AT&T's purchase of EchoStar's 3.45 GHz and 600 MHz spectrum licenses won't reduce wireless competition, but instead it will make the two wireless providers "stronger and better able to compete in an increasingly competitive wireless marketplace," they told the FCC in a public interest statement posted Thursday (docket 25-303). The companies said the deal gives spectrum-constrained AT&T the spectrum it needs and takes care of the "overwhelming headwinds" that EchoStar faced at the FCC in trying to become a facilities-based nationwide carrier. AT&T and EchoStar announced the $23 billion spectrum deal in August (see 2508260005).
Regulators are unlikely to view Verizon’s acquisition of Starry as “meaningfully reducing competition,” though there are unanswered questions about how the deal will be evaluated, New Street analyst Blair Levin told investors Thursday. “The government has not opined on the extent to which a fixed wireless service, such as Starry, competes in the same product market as 5G wireless and/or wireline broadband services,” he said in a report. Verizon announced the deal last week (see 2510080035).
Petitions to deny SpaceX's acquisition of EchoStar spectrum licenses are due Oct. 30, according to an FCC Wireless Bureau public notice Tuesday (docket 25-302). Oppositions are due Nov. 14, replies Nov. 24. SpaceX is buying EchoStar's AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licenses (see 2509080052). Also due Oct. 30 are petitions to deny AT&T's purchase of EchoStar's 3.45 GHz and 600 MHz licenses (see 2509300046). EchoStar is reportedly talking with Verizon about the sale of its AWS-3 spectrum licenses (see 2509300057).
Petitions to deny are due Oct. 30 on AT&T’s proposed purchase of EchoStar spectrum for $23 billion, said an FCC notice released Tuesday in docket 25-303. The deal, announced in August (see 2508260005), would give AT&T licenses for 600 MHz and 3.45 GHz. EchoStar will continue to offer wireless service, but primarily as a mobile virtual network operator riding on AT&T’s network. Oppositions are due Nov. 14, replies Nov. 24, the notice said. “According to the Applicants, the transaction will provide significant public interest benefits by improving AT&T’s service and making both companies stronger competitors.”
Verizon is in discussions with EchoStar about buying the company’s AWS-3 spectrum, Bloomberg News reported Monday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the talks. AT&T announced an agreement in August to buy EchoStar’s 600 MHz and 3.45 GHz licenses for $23 billion (see 2508260005). Dish Network, which is now part of EchoStar, was the third-highest bidder in the 2015 auction, with bids of more than $13 billion. Dish returned some of the licenses to the FCC, which will sell them in an upcoming auction.