Caxton
<< GSM is Toast. It is over, done, done, done >>
Maybe. On the local (USA) scene, however, it looks like they will fill in the coverage gaps that have hurt them (relative to CDMA). Obviously still suffering suffering from lack of national branding (compared to Sprint PCS) general name recognition (relative to the RBOCs) and resulting low valuations. Latest on 1900 MHz spectrum auctions below:
4/7/99 - With the big holes seemingly filled in, attention in the FCC's C- block PCS re-auction as expected shifted yesterday to smaller markets (CT, 4/2). The net total amounts bid in the auction also slowed sharply, with the largest bid the $1.2 million offered by Omnipoint Communications Inc. [OMPT] affiliate OPCS Three LLC for Springfield, Mass. No new bids were lodged for the Chicago and Dallas markets where Cook Inlet/VoiceStream PCS LLC, the Western Wireless Corp. [WWCA] affiliate, continued to hold high bids respectively of $117.6 million for Chicago and $62.4 million for Dallas.
4/2/99 - Through round 22, Chicago and Dallas represent the top two bids on a per- POP basis at $14.40/POP and $14.40/POP, that Cook Inlet / VoiceStream has not had to raise its bid here for the last several days - perhaps an indication that the auction may begin to focus on some of the smaller markets and perhaps indicating that an end is near. New Orleans (another GSM hole) has attracted the 3rd highest bid on a per-POP basis, at $13.15. The average is currently $1.45/POP for markets with an active bid...
- Eric - |
