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Although Verizon and AT&T were the major purchasers of spectrum in last year's 700MHz auction in the US, regional carrier CenturyTel also gained a significant number of licenses. It confirmed this week that it plans to deploy LTE in this spectrum, and like Verizon, will initially focus on fixed access for rural regions.

After Verizon Wireless CTO Dick Lynch revealed recently that the carrier's initial LTE deployments would also be geared to fixed access - with the cost shared with broadband co-parent Verizon Communications - this seems to be a new focus for LTE, and one that could drive nearer term roll-outs than wide area mobility, with all its risks and coverage demands.

CenturyTel hopes to make some limited deployments some time next year, said CEO Glen Post on the company's earnings call, but will proceed with caution. "It would be 2010 before there would be any significant dollars spent on an LTE roll-out," he said. "And even then we'll roll out a few markets and then we'll enter [other markets] on a selective basis as we prove success of the technology roll-out."

CenturyTel owns spectrum to cover over 50% of its territory, and aims to acquire more, possibly by working with partners, because it sees 700MHz LTE as a "very efficient way to provide broadband access in rural areas". The company is merging with Embarq, the former local lines business of Sprint.

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