WASHINGTON—NextWave Telecom Inc. continues to elbow other companies for spectrum in the advanced wireless services spectrum, holding 144 high bids on spectrum through its AWS Wireless Inc. bidding subsidiary worth about $121 million at the end of round 61.
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Dobson Communications Corp., has been dueling with AWS for licenses in Maryland, Kentucky and New York. One of the Kentucky licenses, the Kentucky 4-Spencer license, is currently going for about 18 cents per-MHz-per-pop for a total price of $960,000 and is held by NextWave. Meanwhile, Dobson outbid NextWave for spectrum in Glens Falls, N.Y. with an offer of 6 cents per-MHz-per-pop, or $140,000 total.
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Top 10 Highest Bidders by the end of Round 60
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| Bidders | Net total of high bids |
| 1. T-Mobile | $4.2 billion |
| 2. Verizon Wireless | $2.8 billion |
| 3. SpectrumCo | $2.3 billion |
| 4. MetroPCS | $1.4 billion |
| 5. Cingular | $1.3 billion |
| 6. Cricket | $660 million |
| 7. Denali Spectrum | $274.1 million |
| 8. Barat Wireless | $129.3 million |
| 9. AWS Wireless | $107 million |
| 10. Atlantic Wireless | $76.5 million |
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Leap Wireless International Inc. has been trying to stay ahead of a number of companies—including NextWave, Dobson and Cellular South—in the fight for spectrum in areas such as South Carolina and California. Leap had bid $663 million for 76 licenses as of round 61.
Meanwhile, designated entity Cavalier Wireless L.L.C., which had 19 high bids in round 61, was outbid on several licenses by NextWave during the round; those licenses included areas such as Fayetteville, N.C. and Little Rock, Ark.—and struck back by outbidding NextWave on several Florida licenses. Cavalier also picked up a handful of FCC-held licenses in Florida during the latest round and had bid a total of $21 million.
The auction has raised $13.65 billion in gross revenue so far and 112 new bids were received in the latest round. Fewer than 100 licenses of the 1,122 up for auction have not received bids, and 114 eligible bidders remain out of the original 168.
