US official says upcoming spectrum auctions could generate more than $100 billion

Carr said there is broader interest in wireless spectrum beyond AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, which provide nearly all mobile phone service in the U.S., adding the auctions will help spark new competition.

"We're seeing real response in the market in ways that we didn't see just a couple of years ago," Carr said.

In May, the FCC approved EchoStar's $40 billion sale of wireless spectrum to SpaceX and AT&T and Verizon's 2024 $1 billion deal to acquire some spectrum assets from U.S. Cellular.

SpaceX acquired spectrum for a Starlink device-to-device service and other offerings. Last week, the FCC said it was moving to open more wireless spectrum for space-based broadband service.

The agency previously approved SpaceX's plan to deploy thousands of additional satellites to allow for next-generation mobile services as well as internet speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.