Spectrum auction may boost gear makers' future

Wireless network equipment makers may see a flurry of new orders in the next two years after a $19 billion government auction of wireless airwaves, analysts said. The top two U.S. mobile services AT&T Inc and Verizon Wireless were the biggest spenders in the auction. Equipment makers that may benefit include Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent, Nortel Networks, Nokia Siemens, owned by Nokia and Siemens AG, Motorola Inc, China's Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd and ZTE Corp, analysts said. While some analysts see the outcome as less of a boost than if a newcomer like Google Inc had won spectrum in the auction that ended this week, others say the auction may lead to spending of about $9 billion on network gear in coming years. AT&T, which spent over $6 billion in the auction, and Verizon Wireless, which spent more than $9 billion, said they would use the airwaves to expand data services, which include everything from Web surfing to music downloads.
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