Claims that Sub-1 GHz Spectrum Not that Critical Don’t Add Up, T-Mobile CTO Says
LAS VEGAS -- The upcoming incentive auction of TV spectrum will likely be the biggest event in the next 10 years for the wireless industry, said Neville Ray, T-Mobile chief technology officer, during a Tuesday keynote speech to the Competitive Carriers Association. Verizon Wireless controls 54.7 MHz of sub-1 GHz spectrum and AT&T 48 MHz, so other carriers are desperate for the 600 MHz spectrum the FCC will auction, Ray said.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
"I hate when I hear the noise that says, ‘Oh, this one-gig stuff is not that important,” Ray said. “Bullshit. Right? Excuse the French,” he said to laughter and applause from the CCA faithful. “There’s laws of physics,” he said. “This stuff goes further. It does more. It penetrates buildings better. I know. I don’t have it. So I'm tired of the rhetoric that’s out there.”
T-Mobile officials spend huge amounts of time on spectrum fights, Ray said. “I tell you what, we never give up, we never, never give up,” he said. As a CCA member, “get involved, please, because every voice is important,” he said. “You have a dog in this fight. We all do.”
Ray said the 700 MHz interoperability agreement unveiled last week is critical, even though his company has one only 700 MHz license, in Boston. “This is a big win for the industry,” he said. “For me, the key lesson is let’s not go here again. Let’s not create a band plan structure which is so complex and difficult.” The industry can’t address growth just by using its spectrum more efficiently, he said. “Anybody that stands in front of me that tries to tell me that we can fix this with engineering, I'm sorry, you're wrong,” he said. “We need spectrum."
The 700 MHz interoperability agreement was “a hard fought, critical policy battle,” said CCA President Steve Berry. He said the TV incentive auction is critical for small carriers. “We will ensure that all carriers, no matter what size or geographic location, will have a meaningful opportunity to access usable spectrum,” he said. “This is absolutely necessary for everyone. Let me be real clear here. CCA supports all carriers, including AT&T and Verizon, having an opportunity to bid and win at the auction.” While CCA has had some recent wins “there is no doubt that we have a lot more to tackle and then we've got a tough road ahead,” Berry said. “The stakes are high on almost every policy initiative."
"CCA is involved more than ever before in all the policy issues and wireless issues that come up in D.C.,” said CCA Chairman Michael Prior, CEO of Atlantic Tele-Network. “We must continue to work together to ensure that all carriers can work together and thrive.”
T-Mobile Senior Vice President Tom Sugrue told us T-Mobile has not given up on the H block, though the FCC decided last week to sell the spectrum on a standalone basis in an auction to start Jan. 14. T-Mobile had urged the FCC to delay the auction and sell the spectrum as part of a bigger auction. “It’s potentially of interest,” he said. “I'm not ruling it out but I'm not ruling it in."
T-Mobile Vice President Kathleen Ham said the carrier is interested in the incentive auction spectrum, but the decision will be made at the company’s highest levels. “We're certainly trying to lay the groundwork for that decision, but I think a lot of it is going to depend on the rules,” she said.