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Wireless companies have less than two years to figure out which they prefer.
3G will bring things like high-speed Internet access and video to handheld gadgets. After the government frees up space now crowded by broadcasters, government agencies and others, it will host a mammoth auction in 2002. The bidding will decide who gets a piece of the country's wireless future and who gets left out. The only guarantees are a complicated, highly political process and staggering bids. The U.S. lags behind Europe and Asia in offering 3G services because the country's airwaves are jammed with signals from government agencies and private companies.