700MHz auction

The FCC has announced the winners of the anonymous 700 MHz auction that ended on Tuesday, and it appears that Verizon Wireless has come out on top. The company, a joint venture between Verizon Communications and British telecom giant, Vodaphone group, won almost all the licenses in the spectrum's C-Block, including licenses that cover every region of the U.S. save Alaska. The C-Block is subject to "open access" rules that will allow network customers to use any phone or software they want.

AT&T was a top bidder along with Verizon. Google also made a bid for the C-Block licenses, but it wasn't enough to win. In fact, Google did not win any licenses, so despite the rumors, it will not be

Earlier we reported to you that the 700MHz spectrum would be auctioned off on January 16th of next year. On October 5th the FCC, in a quite lengthy public notice you can view here, postponed the auction until January 24th.

Apparently the extra 8 days are for interested parties to develop their business plans and assess market conditions. The announcement also sets a window from November 19th until