Verizon Wireless Wins 700Mhz Open Access Block

Reuters is reporting that the FCC has released a preliminary list of winners in the recently completed auction for certain blocks of the 700 Mhz spectrum.

Verizon has emerged as the clear winner with nationwide spectrum licenses covering the contiguous 48 states, excluding Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico, and Puerto Rico for a total of $4.74 billion dollars, soundly beating Google’s estimated bid.

It has been recently speculated that Google had no intention of actually winning the auction and instead chose to bid until the amount reached the requisite to trigger open access rules. This action combined with Verizon’s recent statements regarding open access, as well as the move to LTE correlate with their recent actions towards a more open infrastructure.