On Thursday, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) unanimously adopted licensing, technical and service rules for the spectrum auction, which will likely be held later this year or in early 2014; thereby bringing the much-coveted wireless assets of Sprint Nextel and Dish Network are a step closer to the auction block.

In its recent voting which will enable the use of 10 MHz of spectrum for mobile broadband, the FCC has approved the move to auction off two chunks of 1,900MHz spectrum: the lower H block (1,915MHz to 1,920MHz) and upper H block (1,995MHz to 2,000MHz).

Under the licensing and rules recently adopted by the FCC, the agency plans to make available licenses to H Block spectrum which just borders the spectrum that is already licensed by Dish. The company intends using that spectrum for a future wireless network.

Since the two slices of the to-be-auctioned 1,900MHz spectrum are relatively close to Sprint's PCS airwaves, it is expected that Sprint will also bid on the H Block spectrum.

Noting that the purchase of some of the H Block spectrum will help Sprint increase its network capacity and speed, RCR Wireless said in a Thursday report that Sprint has "repeatedly expressed its interest in bidding for the H Block and using the spectrum to enhance its LTE service."