T-Mobile dominates spectrum auction, will boost LTE network across US

Enlarge / T-Mobile's newly acquired spectrum-this map does not show spectrum the company already owned. (credit: T-Mobile USA)

T-Mobile USA was the biggest winner in an auction that shifted licenses in the 600MHz spectrum band from TV broadcasters to the cellular industry.

T-Mobile will pay $7.99 billion for 1,525 licenses spread throughout the country, according to the results announced today. T-Mobile boasted in a press release that it won 45 percent of the spectrum in the auction, amounting to "31MHz nationwide on average, quadrupling the Un-carrier's low-band holdings."

Low-band spectrum is particularly important for covering long distances and penetrating obstacles such as building walls, which have long been problems for T-Mobile's network. The new spectrum should also help T-Mobile in rural areas, where it lags behind AT&T and Verizon in network quality. T-Mobile generally performs well in metro areas.

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