AT&T plans LTE broadband on B block and Aloha spectrum

The FCC’s gag order just came off, and there are no big surprises from AT&T regarding theor future plans for the spectrum they control.

AT&T wasted absolutely no time setting up a press conference to discuss how it was planning to utilize its win in the so-called B Block. Bottom line: AT&T’s moving to LTE for its 4G infrastructure — no surprise there, since it’s the natural evolution for GSM carriers — and the purchase is designed to support that build-out. As they’ve said before, they’re tooting their horn over the fact that the B Block action combined with the Aloha spectrum purchase gives the carrier 100 percent coverage in the 700MHz arena in the top 200 US markets, while also noting that the frequency range is stellar at breaking through walls for hot in-building coverage. (Endgadget)

I don’t expect to see AT&T build out very quickly unless there is a rapid ramp up from a competitor like Xohm/Sprint. AT&T and Verizon already control the lions share of 2 way wireless spectrum in the US which means there is little or no space for new competition to form even with the right funding and leadership. I think the rules of the game for both of the big telcos will continue be to build slowly and charge dearly.