Both AT&T and the FCC continue to make headlines today, as reports are surfacing that the Federal Communications Commission has just approved the carrier’s purchase of 700MHz wireless spectrum from Qualcomm.
You may recall that the FCC recently announced its disapproval of AT&T’s T-Mobile buyout, eventually forcing the carrier to pull out of the deal. But it seems like the two organizations are on the same page this time around…
The FCC has given the green light to AT&T’s purchase of Qualcomm’s wireless spectrum. The deal is rumored to be worth in upwards of $2 billion dollars, and could take effect by the end of the year. So, why do we care?
AT&T is purchasing the spectrum to help with its LTE buildout. It hopes to provide legitimate 4G coverage to over 70 million customers by 2012. Put this together with Verizon’s already massive LTE network, and the US is looking fairly blanketed.
Apple has been waiting for markets to offer bigger LTE infrastructures so it can justify putting the necessary chips inside its products. This type of coverage, although only here in the states, could be exactly what the company needs to get the ball rolling.
Next year could be the year of LTE for Apple.