Guard band auction raises $520 million

So-called "guard band managers" will be able to subdivide their spectrum and lease it to third parties for commercial and private wireless uses. The approach is designed to improve spectrum management and protect public safety spectrum from interference.

The auction, which opened Sept. 6, ended today after 66 rounds. A total of 96 licenses were sold to nine winning bidders who competed for a pair of 2- and 4-MHz licenses in 52 U.S. regions, the FCC said. Eight unsold licenses will be auctioned later.

Thomas Sugrue, chief of the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, said spectrum users would "operate in a manner that protects adjacent public safety spectrum users from interference."

License winners are now required to make down payments over the next two weeks. In previous wireless auctions, the FCC has had trouble collecting fees when some bidders failed to procure financing.