This article was published on February 4, 2016

Comcast executives confirm company’s desire to purchase spectrum at auction


Comcast executives confirm company’s desire to purchase spectrum at auction

The upcoming spectrum license auction has been talked about in tech circles as the ideal opportunity for T-Mobile, or less likely, Sprint, to improve its network by picking up low-band spectrum licenses to compete with the likes of AT&T and Verizon.

Spectrum licenses were never easy to come by, as made apparent by Dish Network’s reported use of shell companies to snatch spectrum away from T-Mobile at the last auction, and at a heavy discount to boot.

As hard as it was to acquire spectrum in the past, it may be even harder now for T-Mobile as Comcast has just entered the fray. Executives say they intend to purchase spectrum ‘if the price is right.’ If the price is indeed right, Comcast — the nation’s largest cable company — could be the newest player in the mobile carrier game.

Last year’s rumor that Comcast was looking to acquire T-Mobile proved false, but all signs point to its desires to enter the mobile fray.

In 2012, Comcast struck a deal with Verizon Wireless to resell its service and last year there were additional rumblings that the two companies would team up to offer a wireless service that took advantage of Verizon’s huge network in addition to Comcast’s Wi-Fi hotspots.

Comcast ready to buy spectrum, possibly become cellular carrier [Ars Technica]

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