Former FCC chair describes Frontline's plans for wireless spectrum

Frontline Vice Chairman Hundt discusses use for public safety, open access networks

Frontline Wireless Vice Chairman Reed Hundt said his company plans to use spectrum on the 700MHz band to build public safety and open access networks.

Hundt, a former FCC chair, described his company’s plan to aggressively bid for spectrum, even if it meant challenging major telcos head-on at yesterday’s MassNetComms panel discussion on the upcoming auction of the 700MHz band.

“The goal of Frontline Wireless is to assemble a bidding group of strategic investors,” he said. “And if AT&T chooses to bid, we would like to be the high bidder and beat them, and if Verizon chooses to bid, we’d propose to be the high bidder and beat them.”

Hundt said that if Frontline won the auction for the so-called “D-Block” of spectrum, then it planned to “build the nation’s first fourth-generation broadband wireless network from coast-to-coast” that would be used “to sell services to police and firefighters and be the creators of the nation’s first interoperable network for all of public safety.” The FCC’s auction rules require that any firm that wins the rights to operate the “D Block” must use it to build a national wireless network for public safety providers.

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Frontline Wireless Vice Chairman Reed Hundt said his company plans to use spectrum on the 700MHz band to build public safety and open access networks.

Hundt, a former FCC chair, described his company’s plan to aggressively bid for spectrum, even if it meant challenging major telcos head-on at yesterday’s MassNetComms panel discussion on the upcoming auction of the 700MHz band.

“The goal of Frontline Wireless is to assemble a bidding group of strategic investors,” he said. “And if AT&T chooses to bid, we would like to be the high bidder and beat them, and if Verizon chooses to bid, we’d propose to be the high bidder and beat them.”

Hundt said that if Frontline won the auction for the so-called “D-Block” of spectrum, then it planned to “build the nation’s first fourth-generation broadband wireless network from coast-to-coast” that would be used “to sell services to police and firefighters and be the creators of the nation’s first interoperable network for all of public safety.” The FCC’s auction rules require that any firm that wins the rights to operate the “D Block” must use it to build a national wireless network for public safety providers.

Hundt also said that Frontline wanted to create a wireless network where “anybody with any content or any device is automatically guaranteed access.” Hundt said this network would stand in contrast to networks built by telcos, such as Verizon and AT&T, which he said would reserve the right to block any content or devices provided by rival firms. Under the FCC’s rules, the winner of the C Block must permit users to access their network using any device and must not discriminate against content.

While Clearwire Senior Vice President Gerry Salemme didn’t get into similar details regarding his company’s potential plans to bid on the spectrum, he did outline his company’s business model, which has relied in the past upon purchasing spectrum. Last February, for instance, Clearwire paid AT&T $300 million for spectrum in the 2.5GHz band.

Salemme said that Clearwire primarily uses the spectrum it has purchased to deliver wireless services through WiMAX, which has a broader range than Wi-Fi and which relies upon licensed spectrum.

“We’re currently providing wireless service in 420 cities and towns in the United States, and when we’re talking wireless service, we mean full broadband service,” he said, and noted that Clearwire is delivering similar wireless broadband services in Denmark, Belgium, Ireland and Spain. Salemme described the upcoming spectrum auction as “a great opportunity.”
Clearwire has invested heavily in delivering wireless services through WiMAX, as evidenced by the deal it reached this summer with Sprint Nextel to build a WiMAX network that the companies estimate will reach 100 million customers by the end of 2008.

The auction for the 62MHz of spectrum on the 700MHz band will begin this January. The spectrum will officially become available for use after television companies switch from analog to digital in 2009.

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