- AT&T wants access to more 3.45 GHz spectrum through leases with N Squared in about 25 markets
- The move follows AT&T’s $23 billion EchoStar spectrum deal, which included nationwide 3.45 GHz and 600 MHz licenses
- AT&T is also asking the FCC to raise device power limits in the 3.45 GHz band from 1 Watt to 2 Watts
AT&T is asking for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for permission to access even more 3.45 GHz spectrum to bolster its network.
This time, the leases are with N Squared, which acquired 55 licenses after pledging about $77 million in the 3.45 GHz auction that ended in 2021. AT&T spent about $9 billion in that auction, aka Auction 110.
AT&T seeks to access the N Squared licenses in about 25 markets via a lease agreement. The markets include Tucson, Ariz.; Cape Coral, Fla.; Waco, Texas; Bowling Green, Ky.; and Boise City, Idaho.
AT&T did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Hat tip to Anthony Jones for flagging these two license applications on X.com.)
AT&T racks up 3.45 GHz
Earlier this year, AT&T closed on its $23 billion deal to acquire about 30 MHz of nationwide 3.45 GHz licenses and about 20 MHz of nationwide 600 MHz low-band spectrum from EchoStar.
Thanks to a short-term spectrum management lease, AT&T was able to put that 3.45 GHz spectrum to work in record time, deploying nearly 23,000 cell sites in a matter of weeks last year, even before the FCC gave its blessing to its spectrum acquisition from EchoStar.
Through its transaction with N Squared, AT&T would lease 3.45 GHz spectrum across 25 markets in about a dozen states, noted Ookla lead analyst Mike Dano in a LinkedIn post.
In most markets, AT&T stands to gain about 20 MHz of additional midband spectrum, but in three markets – Sarasota, Fla.; Nampa, Idaho; and Bryan, Texas – it would get a full 40 MHz, he said.
Interestingly, AT&T showed no Internet Air Speedtest samples in these three markets in August 2026, Dano noted.
AT&T seeks higher power
Separately, AT&T filed a petition for rulemaking at the FCC on Friday asking the commission to initiate a rulemaking to extend devices in the 3.45 GHz band the same 2 Watt power limit that applies to devices operating across the entire C-band. Currently, mobile devices in the 3.45 GHz band are limited to 1 Watt Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP).
AT&T is urging the FCC to “take a holistic view” and align the power limits across the 3.45 GHz and the broader C-band, which are part of the same 3GPP Band 77 ecosystem.
Allowing a higher power limit would enable more robust fixed wireless access offerings in the 3.45 GHz band, which holds promise for fixed wireless use cases to play a bigger role in addressing the consumer demand for better and more competitive in-home broadband, according to AT&T.
Read more Fierce stories about AT&T and 3.45 GHz spectrum:
AT&T on the hunt for more 3.45 GHz spectrum