US official says upcoming spectrum auctions could generate more than $100 billion

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr stated on September 16 that the upcoming wireless spectrum auctions could potentially raise over $100 billion. In July, the FCC decided to hold a 2027 auction for 160 megahertz of mid-band spectrum in the Upper C-Band. Carr announced plans for three more auctions following the C-Band auction, with the goal of completing them by the end of 2028.

While major carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile dominate the current mobile phone service market, Carr emphasized that there is significant interest in wireless spectrum beyond these companies, which will foster new competition. Additionally, recent spectrum deals, such as EchoStar's sale to SpaceX and AT&T, and Verizon's acquisition of U.S. Cellular spectrum, demonstrate the market's response to these auctions.

The FCC is actively opening more wireless spectrum for space-based broadband services and has approved SpaceX's plan to deploy thousands of satellites for next-generation mobile services and internet speeds up to 1 gigabit per second. Furthermore, the agency is preparing for multiple 6G wireless auctions in 2028 to support emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, driverless cars, and connected sensors.

Carr noted that a previous auction raised funds to replace Chinese equipment in U.S. networks, addressing national security concerns. A study by the CTIA indicated that Americans used 159.3 trillion megabytes of data in 2025, a 20% increase from the previous year, highlighting the growing demand for wireless data. AI is projected to account for nearly a third of all broadband traffic by 2034, contributing to the increasing need for wireless spectrum.