There’s a legitimate question as to whether the wireless industry has enough money to pay historical prices for spectrum the FCC intends to auction over the next 18 months. The FCC intends to auction approximately 150 MHz of spectrum between the AWS-3 and the Broadcast Incentive auction (assuming 65 MHz at AWS-3 and 85 MHz…
It’s no secret that Sprint (S) and T-Mobile (TMUS) have been exploring a potential merger and that there are significant concerns over whether such a merger would be approved. Sprint and T-Mobile argue that the US wireless market is a near-duopoly dominated by ATT (T) and Verizon (VZ) with a combined market share of approximately…
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There has been a lot of market speculation that the Comcast’s proposed acquisition of Time Warner Cable might be blocked on anti-trust concerns. We believe these concerns are overblown. 1) The Cable Operations Don’t Compete in the Same Markets, so Industry Concentration Doesn’t Change. The combined company would serve over 30 million homes, which initially…
Wireless network traffic growth projections have been significantly cut since the FCC’s 2010 National Broadband Plan. The National Broadband Plan projected wireless network demand in 2010 to be 468 billion MB, vs the 398 billion MB actually carried in 2010 according to the CTIA. In 2011, the spread got wider, 1090 billion MB projected vs…
Summit Ridge Group,LLC is please to announce the publication of The Spectrum Handbook 2013. This 182 page book is available in hardcopy and e-book version through major on-line resellers. Executive Summary This Handbook has three objectives: 1) to serve as a primer for explaining the complex issues around the use of electromagnetic spectrum; 2) to…
Summit Ridge Group, LCC just completed a white paper covering a significant issue related to the upcoming FCC Broadcast Incentive Auction. The paper, Right-sizing Spectrum Auction Licenses: The Case for Smaller Geographic License Areas in the TV Broadcast Incentive Auction was sponsored by the Competitive Carriers Association. The Executive Summary is below. Executive Summary The wireless…
Is “Terrestrial Bias” a Political Problem for the Satellite Industry? I recently caught-up with a European wireless executive and we compared notes on the communications industry. While discussing different technologies, I mentioned the progress satellite broadband was making in various countries. He responded with an interesting insight. Simply put, local politicians are eager to support…
The Competitive Carriers Association held their annual convention earlier this week in Las Vegas. A few takeaways: 1) Concern over LTE upgrade cycle. Small to mid-sized carriers appear anxious about the costs and benefits of LTE. They seem to realize they will need to do it eventually in order to remain competitive. But they are…
Summit Ridge Group, LLC is pleased to announce the release of its publication, The Spectrum Handbook 2013. The 182-page publication provides an overview of spectrum-related issues globally from technical, regulatory and business perspectives while acknowledging the many public policy issues. The Handbook is intended to be a useful resource for new attorneys, bankers and government staffers…
