While it does not mean the company will end up bidding, Time Warner Cable said Wednesday that it would register with the Federal Communications Commission to participate in a wireless auction slated to begin next month. The company's chief executive Glenn Britt made the announcement at a meeting of investors, saying, "we're evaluating whether it would make sense for [us to bid on] wireless spectrum."

The auction, which begins June 29, is expected to raise some $8 to $15 billion for the federal government. The frequencies reside in the 1710-1755 Megahertz and 2110-2155 Mhz bands -- the same that are required for third-generation wireless technologies such as UMTS. Several companies, most notably T-Mobile USA, are looking at the auction to help launch their high-speed data services.