Mobilicity calls for U.S.-style 'spectrum screen' for coming auction

Teetering closer to the brink in the wake of Ottawa’s rejection of its proposed $380-million takeover by Telus Corp., wireless startup Mobilicity is  working on a plan to find a white knight rather than restructure its operations. The Vaughan, Ont.-based company doesn’t really have much choice, even though it’s likely to fetch a far lower price than Telus was willing to pay.

[NOTE: This post is a reprint of an Op-Ed that ran in the Wall Street Journal on November 15, 2010]By GARY LOCKE and LARRY SUMMERSRarely is there an opportunity to simultaneously catalyze private-sector investment, help create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, and increase much needed government revenue. President Obama is seizing just such an opportunity with his commitment to nearly double the amount of available commercial wireless spectrum over the next 10 years. Today, the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will take the first step by announcing a plan to free up 115 megahertz (MHz) of spectrum.Spectrum is fast becoming a pillar of America's digital infrastructure. It has enabled the mobile broadband revolution. All of our smart phones, netbooks, and the "apps" they support depend on the availability of wireless spectrum.But while demand for America's spectrum resources is increasing at rapid rates—the amount of information flowing over some wireless networks is growing at over 250% per year—there has not been a corresponding increase in supply. This congestion has led to more dropped calls and slower data rates.

Larry Dignan (ZDNet) submits: AT&T (T) said Monday it will acquire Qualcomm (QCOM) wireless spectrum licenses for $1.92 billion in a move that will give it more capacity for 4G services.

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US technology company Qualcomm, after pulling the plug on its FLO TV service, announced Monday it was selling its US wireless spectrum licenses to telecom giant AT&T for over 1.9 billion dollars.Qualcomm, which announced in October it was suspending sales of FLO TV sets, said Monday that it will shut down the service, which delivered broadcast video to cellphones, entirely in March.Qualcomm said it had agreed to sell its spectrum licenses in the 700 MHz frequency band to AT&T for 1.925 billion dollars.

Verizon Wireless has been spectrum shopping again. The company today agreed to buy a set of spectrum licenses from Cox Communications for $315 million. The licenses in the 20 MHz Advanced Wireless Services band cover 28 million people. The deal does not include Cox?s 700 MHz licenses. At the same time, the two companies agreed ...

A judge ruled Thursday that a Toronto private equity firm can proceed with an application to set aside Mobilicity’s recent financing. The Vaughan, Ont.-based wireless carrier launched its discount mobile business after spending $243-million acquiring airwaves during the 2008 spectrum auction. But it, like other new entrants to Canada’s wireless scene, has struggled to gain ground against the incumbent players Telus Corp., Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc.

By Mel Daris:Spectrum acquisition is one of the primary investments made by wireless operators, accounting for the heart and soul of their operations. Wireless spectrum is a part of the electromagnetic spectrum corresponding to radio frequencies. These spectrums are licensed to operators by specific frequencies and geography.