White House announces spectrum auction to fuel 5G growth

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration on Monday unveiled plans to auction off 100 megahertz of midband spectrum previously dedicated to military purposes for commercial use starting in mid-2022, to ramp up fifth-generation network coverage in the United States.

The Federal Communications Commission will be able to auction this spectrum to companies like Verizon Communications Inc and AT&T Inc from December 2021, and the wireless industry could be using it by summer of the following year, White House adviser and U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios told reporters.