The FCC issued the results of the auction and noted T-Mobile as the big winner from the US$428 million worth of bids.
PTI Pacifica spent US$17.7 million while TeleGuam paid US$16.56 million.
In a statement, the FCC said: In total, 7,872 of the 8,017 offered county-based licenses, or 98% of the total inventory, have been sold.
“With most of the available spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band located in rural areas, this auction provides vital spectrum resources to support wireless services in rural communities.
“There are 63 winning bidders, 77% of which qualified as small businesses or as entities serving rural communities, which will support the introduction of innovative new wireless services in their local communities.”
Alongside the latest 5G spectrum auction, the FCC also announced almost US$800 million to fund rural broadband deployments in 19 states.
Illinois, Arizona and Iowa were unveiled as the biggest beneficiaries, getting over half of the total investment.
The investment will add broadband service to over 350,000 locations.
