Fibertower Corp fka FBBT

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AT&T, Dish Network, Verizon and Google each separately announced today that they will be acquiring or deploying the kind of high-band spectrum assets that many expect will be critical to providing 5G services. The news serves to underscore the potential for a spectrum land-grab as wireless carriers and others look to position themselves to better provide super-fast 5G internet services.

First, the news:

AT&T quietly acquired a company called FiberTower in a move that will give AT&T spectrum in the 24 GHz and 39 GHz bands covering 8.4 billion MHz POPs, according to Wells Fargo and AllNet Insights. AT&T is already moving forward with a wide range of fixed wireless trials in a number of different spectrum bands.

Separately, in a transaction with EchoStar that covered Sling TV and other assets, Dish Network acquired wireless spectrum licenses covering four markets in the 28 GHz band and certain real estate properties. (AT&T last year described (PDF) the 28 GHz band as a “seminal” band for 5G development.) “It is unclear how much spectrum EchoStar owns in this band but the transaction today seems like another round of spectrum acquisitions by Dish, now with a focus on 5G,” wrote the analysts at Barclays this morning in reaction to Dish’s transaction with EchoStar.

Then, Verizon disclosed this morning that it closed its acquisition of XO Communications, which was initially announced last year. Under terms of the deal, Verizon will be able to lease XO's 102 LMDS licenses in the 28 GHz and 39 GHz bands (licenses that Wells Fargo noted cover 188 billion MHz­-POPs, or 23x what FiberTower owned). And Verizon’s interest in that spectrum is clear: The carrier last year said those were the very bands it would use to conduct 5G testing.

Finally, Google today added six fixed wireless markets to its Google Fiber coverage map. Google acquired fixed wireless provider Webpass last year; Webpass was founded in 2003 and offers service to “tens of thousands” of customers across a handful of U.S. markets in part by offering fixed wireless service on licensed and unlicensed frequencies stretching across the 6, 11, 18, 23, 24, 60, 70 and 80 GHz bands.