US mobile technology provider NextWave Wireless has sold nearly two-thirds of its advanced wireless services (AWS) spectrum for US$150.1 million to four parties, two years after acquiring the whole license portfolio for US$115.5 million. RCR Wireless News reports that T-Mobile USA has acquired the largest chunk for approximately US$98 million, giving NextWave a profit of US$47 million on that portion alone. T-Mobile spent US$4.2 billion on spectrum during the FCC’s AWS auction in 2006 and is using the spectrum to launch 3G services. RCR Wireless News notes that the NextWave deal has given T-Mobile a 20MHz license covering Pittsburgh; a 20MHz license covering Sacramento, California; a 10MHz license covering New Orleans; and a 10MHz license covering Little Rock, Arkansas.

Atlantic Wireless, ACS Wireless and MetroPCS bought other licenses from NextWave totalling US$52.6 million. The four separate deals see NextWave part with 63 percent (599 million MHz/pops) of its AWS spectrum and leaves it with 348 million MHz/pops, primarily in New England, Florida and California. In addition the company has 5.9 billion MHz/pops of spectrum in Europe, Canada and South America. “The sale of our AWS spectrum is just the first step in maximising the value of our spectrum portfolio,” Allen Salmasi, CEO and president of NextWave, said in a statement. “We will continue to monetise our remaining spectrum assets in the US and are working with Deutsche Bank and UBS Investment Bank to achieve our spectrum sale objectives.”