The network opens to all

C-block of 700 MHz spectrum was assured of working with any mobile phone or application as it pushed past the reserve price of $4.64 billion on Thursday.

Open C-block comes as especially good news to Google, which lobbied viciously to keep the C-block open. Android, its mobile strategy, hinges upon open use of devices and software-based apps.

The reserve price was broken in the 17th round of spectrum auction bidding, when a bidder offered $4.71 billion, according to Information Week. Though new FCC rules shroud who wins the auction until conclusion, the round was believed to be led by Google and Verizon.

With C-block spoken for, D-block may be the next auction prize. D-block is currently reserved for commercial-public use.

The auction's 200 bidders are also scrambling for 700 MHz regional licenses. Regional bids run as high as the hundreds of millions for New York City, and as low as $5,000 for Aberdeen, South Dakota.