Fibertower Corp fka FBBT

[codesilver]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-11/after-losing-bidding-war-at-t-has-no-straight-path-to-5g-future

Phone giant left to fight FCC for more FiberTower licenses

“With no auctions of these licenses on the near-term horizon, AT&T may need to look at different frequencies,” said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Matthew Kanterman.


Wireless carriers have to settle on which frequencies they’re using well in advance of their plans to upgrade their infrastructure, since chipmakers and phone developers have to design their equipment to eventually work on the new network.

And it’s vital for AT&T to keep pace with rivals on the move to 5G. While previous generations of mobile-phone systems have focused on increasing the speed and capacity of data delivery to phones, the ambitions for the fifth generation are much greater. The aim is to bring in devices that have previously existed without wireless connections and provide the backbone for revolutions in other industries such as self-driving cars and remote medicine. It would enable speedy downloads of ultra high-definition movies and remote maintenance of machinery in the field, along with long-distance surgery and more widespread use of autonomous vehicles.

AT&T, based in Dallas, could have an easier path to 5G if the U.S. Federal Communications Commission allows it to use all the airwaves once controlled by FiberTower. The regulatory agency earlier terminated 650 spectrum licenses after determining FiberTower hadn’t met requirements to use the airwaves.

AT&T could ask the FCC to restore the licenses so the company can use them, but rivals including T-Mobile US Inc. and the Competitive Carriers Association trade group want the FCC to auction the spectrum to the highest bidder instead. The FiberTower acquisition also gave AT&T 88 active licenses not included in the rivals’ request for an auction. AT&T told the FCC the transaction would “accelerate the development and deployment of next-generation 5G wireless services.”