Auction 113 is (almost) here — and the Upper C-Band is next. After several years with no major FCC auctions, many operator teams could use a skills refresh, and new executives need to get auction-ready fast. This is exactly where LYA delivers unmatched value.
LYA gives you the competitive edge you need to win. We’ve delivered mock auction platforms, valuation, and bid-room support to mobile operators and investors in spectrum auctions for more than 10 years, across all bands. Key elements of our spectrum practice include:
- Powerful advocacy at the FCC: Backed by deep real-world auction experience and our work providing expert evidence on auction formats and bidding rules, we help ensure your voice is heard in the FCC processes that shape your opportunities.
- Valuation and strategic fit that drive smarter bidding: Our NPV Engine and advanced analytics deliver rock-solid licence valuations, help you assess fit within your broader spectrum and network roadmap, and let you compare auction targets with secondary-market options to set the right bidding budget.
- Best-in-class auction training: With the LYA Auction Platforms, you can run mock auctions with or without robotic bidders — with robotic bidders programmed to behave like real competitors — and use automated simulations to stress-test strategies and finalize your plan. Given the long auction gap, we also help teams refresh on CMA/EA licence-area bidding, which Auction 113 will use consistent with the original AWS-3 format.
- Game-changing bid-room support: During live bidding rounds, our experts provide real-time analytics, tactical bidding advice, scenario tracking, and clear executive dashboards to help you outmaneuver the competition.
Simply put: we get your team ready to compete — and ready to win.
The FCC’s Upper C-Band docket (3.98–4.2 GHz) is advancing quickly. Key issues include:
- the amount of spectrum to be licensed (from the minimum 100 MHz mandate up to 180 MHz),
- satellite-operator relocation and compensation, and
- core auction design choices such as block size, licence geography (proposed as PEAs), and bidding credits for small business and rural operators.
Consistent with Auction 107 for the Lower C-Band, there is no proposed “bright-line” limit on bidders. The FCC proposes including Upper C-Band in the overall spectrum screen, while the separate mid-band screen docket launched in 2023 at AT&T’s request remains unresolved — an issue that could ultimately affect Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T itself. Under some spectrum-quantity scenarios, satellite operators could remain in-band, and there is currently no mention of SpaceX’s proposal to revise the satellite allocation to allow mobile (as well as fixed) operations via a co-primary allocation or possible mobile-satellite use in the guard band.
If you’d like to elevate your strategy for Auction 113 or the Upper C-Band — including targeted advocacy support in the current FCC proceedings — let’s set up a quick call. Please contact us and we will be glad to share how we can help refine your policy positioning while also preparing your team to compete and win in the auction itself.