Google is expected to announce today that it will bid on portions of the soon-to-be-available wireless spectrum, reports Reuters.

The confirmation comes from Wall Street Journal sources, though Google has yet to publicly declare it is officially joining the auction.

The portions of the wireless spectrum being auctioned early next year are valued because they are powerful enough to go through walls easily, without diminished signal strength.

The spectrum signals were previously used by TV broadcasters but have been freed as stations switched to digital delivery.

Owning a portion of the wireless spectrum of its own would help Google advance its long-term wireless plans. Those plans are expected to include some sort of open-access platform, which could pressure existing wireless carriers to drop practices that keep customers beholden to their network and devices.

The Wall Street Journal first hinted at confirmations of Google's itch to bid just weeks ago.