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Filed under: Handsets , ATT , Apple , OS X Like you even had to ask. Yes, Johnny, the iPhone 3G will be getting looked over by the FCC. [Thanks, Chris] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Clearwire filed a document with the SEC stating that it will not bid in the upcoming 700 MHz auction in January, but the company did not give a reason for the decision to abstain. Potential bidders in the auction had until Monday to file their petition to bid, however, FCC rules prohibit potential bidders from discussing their plans for the auction. Before filing, Google announced it's intent to bid in the auction. Verizon Wireless and AT&T executives have also noted that their companies plan on bidding, too. Cox announced its intent to bid yesterday, while Comcast and Time Warner both made it clear that they would not participate in the spectrum auction. For more on the auction in January: - read this article from the AP Related Articles: Apple interested in 700 MHz auction? Article

Wow, all the big-hitters are getting in the game. What game are we talking about? Well, the game that would have Google and Apple battling it out over the rights to a slice of the radio spectrum that we like to call the 700Mhz spectrum. The upcoming FCC auction has sparked interest from all manner of tech-giants - from wireless carriers to search giants . Now, Business Week is reporting that sources close to the situation have said that Apple is considering tapping into their cash reserves to play ball in the 700Mhz auction this coming January 16, 2008. The minimum reserve price is set at $4.6 billion, but with $14 billion saved up in its cash coffers, Apple won’t be worried about the reserve price. Rather, it’s Google that will be Apple’s primary competitor in the auction - and they’ve already made it clear that they want a piece of the 700Mhz-action. But, let’s say Apple does win the auction. They’ll find themselves sitting on a prime piece of wireless real estate that could be leveraged to significantly expand the company’s wireless offerings. Forget AT&T and their antiquated network, Apple would be able to sever ties with the leading US wireless carrier and go out on its own in the mobile phone market. Imagine that, an Apple phone on Apple’s own high-speed network - made cheap by allowing users to make calls over VoIP software and obviating the need for Apple to develop their own voice encoding software. Imagine that. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this space for you guys. Keep checking back for more details, as they emerge. [Via: Business Week ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:Google may bid for upcoming 700Mhz frequency auction - if FCC agrees to "open access" termsFCC releases details, rules for upcoming 700Mhz frequency spectrum auction - $10 billion reserve priceVerizon Wireless flip-flops - supports some "open-access" for 700Mhz spectrumMetroPCS puts in buy-offer to acquire Leap...

Into iPhone’s got the scoop on a possible new iPhone in the works. Check out the FCC filing that could be the next iPhone Nano! Into iPhone

Filed under: Handsets , GSM , GPRS , EDGE , Apple , OS X There's been a lot of buzz these past couple days about the iPhone's FCC filing and what it says -- or rather, what it doesn't say -- about the handset's internals. The fear basically revolves around the fact that a lack of testing on the GSM 900 and 1800MHz bands indicates that it lacks those bands entirely, but we can assure the globetrotters out there jonesin' for an iPhone come next month that there'll be a full range of RF spectrum waiting for you. How do we know? Well, first of all, in the year 2007 (or 2005, for that matter) it's simply idiotic to release a wide-appeal phone with any fewer than four GSM bands. Quadband GSM chipsets have been commodity items for some time now and add virtually no expense to a handset's internals. Second of all, quadband phones never have their non-US bands mentioned in a filing, particularly in a test report. Follow the break for a walkthrough of exactly what we mean. Let's take a look at a released phone that we know to be quadband -- that is, a phone that supports GSM on the 850, 900, 1800, and 1900MHz bands, offering coverage pretty much anywhere in the world that a GSM tower exists. For our purposes, we'll pick on the RIM BlackBerry 8800 . You're going to get a frightening peek into our daily FCC-lurking insanity here. Searching for the 8800's FCC ID reveals offers up four filings: one for each band the FCC cares about plus an accessory filing that details radiation emitted by the phone's AC adapter. Here we see 850 and 1900 (GSM) and 2400 (Bluetooth). No mention of GSM 900 or 1800 here, despite the fact that the 8800 has the requisite support; the bands aren't used in the States, so they're dead in the FCC's eyes and RIM is under no obligation to provide test reports for them (at least, not to the FCC). Now let's take a closer look at the test report for the device itself. Pardon the size of the text here -- you can check out the actual filing if you're so inclined ...