AT&T could buy more AWS-3 spectrum next year

There’s a chance the FCC might have some AWS-3 spectrum licenses to auction as early as next year. One analyst believes AT&T might allocate a portion of its $10 billion war chest for that spectrum.

According to one analyst, there’s a good chance the FCC will auction some AWS-3 spectrum next year, and AT&T could bid heavily to buy that spectrum.

“AT&T is the most likely,” wrote Blair Levin, a policy adviser to New Street Research and a former high-level FCC official, in a recent note to investors. “It has less midband spectrum than peers, suggesting it will have the strongest appetite for the licenses in re-auction.”

“Of course I’d be interested,” AT&T CEO John Stankey said recently in response to a question about AT&T buying more spectrum if it became available. “If I can go in and pick up attractive spectrum that is harmonized with our existing holdings that we can go and get additional capacity without putting more capital into the network to do things, that’s a good move for our shareholders. It’s a good move for our customers.”