NextWave Wins Wireless Licenses For WiMAX Bid

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September 20, 2006 (2:00 PM EDT)

By W. David Gardner , TechWeb Technology News

Tucked away in the $14 billion wagered in the FCC's Advanced Wireless Spectrum (AWS) auction were the 154 AWS licenses picked up by NextWave Wireless LLC, which bid $115.5 million for the licenses.

That was a far cry from the $4.74 billion an earlier incarnation of NextWave and its chief, Allen B. Salmasi bid in a 1996 spectrum auction. Salmasi wasn't able to do much with the 1996 licenses primarily because the company filed for bankruptcy. So what is he and NextWave Wireless LLC planning this time?

Roy Berger, NextWave Wireless LLC spokesman, said Tuesday that he can't say precisely what NextWave plans, because papers filed with the SEC preclude him from commenting.

However, NextWave gave a hint of things to come in a press release Monday. NextWavem, a member of the WiMAX Forum, is moving ahead with the development of WiMAX semiconductors, according to the press release.

If NextWave targets WiMAX, it will place Salmasi in competition with Qualcomm's CDMA technology. Salmasi was an early developer of CDMA when he was an executive at Qualcomm.

NextWave subsidiary, AWS Wireless, picked up licenses in the recent auction in a variety markets including Pittsburgh, Puerto Rico, Indianapolis, Sacramento, New Orleans, Little Rock, El Paso, Albany, Louisville, Sarasota, Anchorage, and Fort Myers.

"With these new AWS licenses our nationwide spectrum footprint has grown to over 242 million POPs and covers 10 of the top 10 and 21 of the top 25 cities in the country," said Salmasi, according to a press release.

Salmasi said that field trials using NextWave's spectrum and mobile broadband technologies will get underway next year.