700 MHz Spectrum To Be Openend Up in the US for WiMAx

EETimes reports that the Bush administration plans to open up the 700 MHz spectrum for WiMAX. Auctions for that slice of the spectrum, which is currently occupied by analog TV, are expected to be completed by 2008 (which means it will probably not be available before 2009).

Frequencies for WiMAX (or actually any competing technology such as Flash OFDM, owned by Qualcomm) in the 700 MHz band can be considered highly valuable, due to its better propagation characteristics relative to the 2.5 GHz, 3.5 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands, which are the ones so far sanctioned by the industry's lobby which is organized in the WiMAX Forum. In a stylized context, better propagation characteristics lead to fewer towers and base stations to cover a given area, leading to less costs for the network roll-out.

Since the spectrum will be auctioned, it might eventually be taken by those who have the deepest pockets, and those are the wireless carriers. Only recently Sprint pumped more money into wireless broadband by investing in IPWireless.