The Federal Communications Commission this week adopted an order(Opens in a new window) that would allow for an auction of 10 MHz of spectrum for mobile broadband in what is known as the H Block.

Sprint and Dish will likely want to get their hands on this spectrum since they already own spectrum that’s adjacent to the bands that will be up for auction: 1915-1920 MHz and 1995-2000 MHz.

The move is intended to ensure that wireless providers like Sprint have enough network capacity to keep bandwidth-intensive gadgets like smartphones and tablets running smoothly in the future. The auction will likely take place next year.

“This is no small feat. The FCC, led by our world-class engineers, has been working on a sensible approach to the use of this spectrum, since 2004,” Acting FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn said in a statement. “I for one am pleased that advances in wireless
broadband technology have allowed us to craft rules, for the efficient use of the H block, finally allowing us to release this spectrum, into the marketplace.”

The FCC stressed that its order “sets technical rules to help ensure that operations in the H Block do not cause harmful interference to PCS downlink operations, consistent with a requirement in the Spectrum Act.”

The issue of interference set off a battle between Sprint and Dish over how to handle the H Block. But ultimately, in December, the FCC finally approved Dish’s request to convert spectrum currently used for satellite service into spectrum that would support a terrestrial wireless network, paving the way for H Block auctions.

“Sprint would like to thank the FCC for working quickly to unanimously adopt licensing, technical and service rules for the eventual auction of the H Block spectrum band later this year,” Larry Krevor, vice president of Government Affairs at Sprint, said in a Thursday statement. “Sprint appreciates the Commission adopting balanced rules to protect neighboring licensees from interference while assuring H Block licensees the flexibility necessary to provide wireless broadband services.”

For more, check out the spectrum band chart from Sprint below. The two H Block spectrum sections that will go up for auction are seen in pink, with spectrum currently owned by Sprint to the left of both H Blocks, and spectrum owned by Dish on the right in baby blue. Click the image for a bigger look at the U.S. spectrum bands.