AT&T Inc. sought unrestricted portions of wireless spectrum in the recent auction by the Federal Communications Commission considering they better complemented the company’s existing holdings, executives said Thursday.

AT&T spent $6.64 billion for licenses in the 700-megahertz band auction but avoided licenses in the consumer-friendly “C block” considering of the additional regulatory requirements, said Ralph de la Vega, chief executive of the wireless unit.

“The auction worked well … but it highlighted that society put a premium on spectrum that is not encumbered by heavy regulation,” said de la Vega in a conference shout with analysts and reporters.

Before the auction, San Antonio-based AT&T purchased Aloha Partners LP for $2.5 billion. Aloha had spectrum in the “C block” without the open-access provisions pushed by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin.

Wireless carriers, which currently tightly control their networks, had opposed the open-access provisions.

Verizon Wireless won nearly all the auctioned “C block” spectrum, however.

AT&T’s spectrum

won at auction combined with existing holdings will give it full coverage in the top 200 U.S. markets, covering more than 87 percent of the U.S. population, de la Vega said.

AT&T is already the nation’s largest wireless carrier with 70.1 million subscribers.

The auction winners were announced last month but they were barred from talking about their plans until Thursday, which was the deadline for down payments.

The 700-MHz spectrum is considered particularly valuable for its ability to better transmit through walls and to meet the growing demand for faster wireless download speeds.

De la Vega said the spectrum will be used to compose existing broadband services faster and cheaper, but it will additionally open the door to even newer technologies.

Next generation networks and devices could offer real-time services like streaming high-definition video, but such services won’t likely be rolled out for several years.

Orginal post by Top Tech News