Members of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels fly over the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan as part of the 25th annual Fleet Week celebration in New York, May 23, 2012.  REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

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Shreen Mohammad sits with other recruits during a military exercise at the Kabul Military Training Center (KMTC) in Kabul March 28, 2012. A landmark NATO summit in Chicago endorsed an exit strategy that calls for handing control of Afghanistan to its own security forces by the middle of next year but left questions unanswered about how to prevent a slide into chaos and a Taliban resurgence after allied troops are gone. Picture taken March 28, 2012.   REUTERS/Omar Sobhani (AFGHANISTAN - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY SOCIETY) ATTENTION EDITORS: PICTURE 18 OF 27 FOR PACKAGE 'AFGHAN ARMY RECRUIT'

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FACTBOX: Wireless auction winners

Thu Mar 20, 2008 7:58pm EDT

(Reuters) - Verizon Communications Inc and AT&T won big in a government auction of wireless licenses that raised a record $19.12, while other winners of Federal Communications Commission spectrum include a partner of satellite operator DISH Network Corp.

Verizon Wireless, a joint venture with Vodafone Group Plc, won licenses for the nationwide "C" block of spectrum, giving it control of a major piece of airwaves being vacated by television broadcasters as they move to digital signals.

The total auction proceeds were reduced from an earlier $19.59 when communications regulators withdrew a portion of the airwaves that failed to reach a minimum bid threshold.

Below are the major winners and their estimated spending on the licenses:

VERIZON WIRELESS:

Represented by Cellco Partnership, Verizon Wireless won the "C" block, 700 megahertz spectrum that is considered valuable because it can go long distances and penetrate thick walls. It bears a new requirement that the wireless spectrum be accessible to any device or software application, not just handsets favored by Verizon.

Verizon Wireless also won 25 licenses in the "A" block of regional spectrum, covering such areas as Long Island, Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Spent: $9.63 billion

AT&T MOBILITY SPECTRUM:

AT&T won 227 licenses from among the "B" block of regional licenses spanning such cities as Washington, Houston and San Francisco.

Spent: $6.64 billion

FRONTIER WIRELESS LLC, PARTNERSHIP CONTROLLED BY DISH

NETWORK CORP:

Frontier gained a nearly nationwide footprint of airwaves in the "E" block of licenses, which offer one-way communication capabilities, suggesting it may branch out to offer wireless video services.

Spent: $711 million

QUALCOMM:

Qualcomm won 9 licenses in the "B" and "E" blocks.

Spent: $558 million

METROPCS 700 MHZ LLC:

MetroPCS Communications won a license covering the Boston market.

Spent: $360 million

Sources: License information from FCC, spending data compiled by Stifel Nicolaus.

(Reporting by Michele Gershberg, editing by Phil Berlowitz)

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