• Wired, Wednesday, May 16, 2007 10:46 AM

When the Apple iPhone comes out next month, many will want one, but only those who subscribe to AT&T's wireless can use it. It's like saying Mac owners have to connect to the Web through AT&T because their machines wouldn't work on Time Warner Cable. The Internet doesn't work that way, but mobile networks unfortunately do, though a new startup aims to fix that problem.

By the end of the year, the FCC will start auctioning off low-frequency UHF spectrum that Frontline Wireless hopes to win. The VC-backed startup aims to open the broad-reaching frequency to any wireless device. However, Frontline will have its hands full as it competes for the spectrum against cash-rich Cingular and Verizon. Wired says the startup's chances may ultimately come down to the rules for the auction set forth by the FCC. Significantly, it may be the last spectrum auction for a long time, and a last chance to create an alternative to the major carriers.

UHF, by the way, is ideal for mobile wireless companies because it has the ability to carry through forests, buildings, mountains and any weather conditions. Cingular and Verizon already own a large band of low-frequency spectrum near UHF, which is why they have the most reliable service. UHF, which used to belong to local broadcasters, would also be an ideal frequency for a broadband wireless network-far more powerful and wider reaching than the muni Wi-Fi and WiMax networks being built by Google and Earthlink.

Read the whole story at Wired »