FCC Announces Close of Successful Wireless Auction: 
Spectrum Demand Is Strong as Proceeds Exceed Expectations
More Than $3.5 Billion in Proceeds While Moving 200 Licenses into Commercial Use
   
WASHINGTON, June 23, 2026—Today, the Federal Communications Commission announced the conclusion of its highly successful AWS-3 auction, which showed that the demand for spectrum is high, and America is again leading the world.  Auction bidding beat expectations with significant per-unit prices and gross winning bids exceeding $3.5 billion.  Through the auction, valuable mid-band spectrum that was previously idle has been allocated for productive use.

The auction also shows that the FCC’s Auctions program is running strong, despite the previous lapse in authority and a four-year gap in conducting an auction.  The FCC is well prepared for its forthcoming Upper C-Band auction.  The FCC is on schedule to meet Congress’s deadline to complete a system of competitive bidding for at least 100 megahertz in the Upper C-band no later than July 2027.

Chairman Brendan Carr issued the following statement:

“After years on the sidelines, FCC auctions are finally back.  Today’s successful auction generated billions of dollars in competitive bids to put spectrum to effective commercial use, and it bolsters competition in the wireless marketplace.  We will carry this momentum forward as we prepare for the Upper C-Band auction in the year ahead.”

“Spectrum auctions are the lifeblood of licensed wireless service.  More spectrum means lower prices and stronger competition.  I thank the many FCC team members who made the success of this auction possible through their hard work and expertise.”

Additional Background Information:

Bidding in the AWS-3 auction, formally designated as Auction 113, began on June 2, 2026.  Seventeen qualified bidders participated in the auction, which ran for 72 rounds.

Up to $3.3B of the auction’s proceeds will be used to cover amounts borrowed to support the FCC’s “rip and replace” program and other Commerce Department programs.  The auction made available 200 spectrum licenses in the 1695-1710 MHz, 1755-1780 MHz, and 2155-2180 MHz bands which were subject to bid defaults or bid withdrawals in the 2014 auction and thus have remained unused in the FCC’s inventory since then.

The auction that concluded today was important, even with its smaller inventory of 200 licenses of various sizes and diverse geographic areas.  Auction 113 also featured the debut of the FCC’s brand new, state-of-the-art application system, which represents a step towards the FCC’s goals of increasing efficiency in agency operations.

The FCC’s Build America Agenda is putting in the work to free up airwaves and restore the country’s leadership in wireless.  The Commission is advancing 5G and 6G leadership by executing on a massive spectrum pipeline to deliver 800 megahertz of spectrum by 2034 set out in President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cut Act, which also restored the FCC’s auction authority.  In the secondary markets, we are seeing large swaths of spectrum moving into the hands of competitors that can put it to productive use quickly.  For more on the wireless leadership efforts in the Build America Agenda, visit: https://www.fcc.gov/restoring-americas-leadership-wireless. 

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Media Contact: MediaRelations@fcc.gov / (202) 418-0500
@FCC / www.fcc.gov