There’s a spending spree under way among the country’s wireless juggernauts for valuable spectrum.

But can the bidders—the biggest of which are thought to be AT&T and Verizon—grow revenues enough to justify these investments? The total value of winning bids has reached $44.3 billion, according to the Federal Communications Commission, far higher than initially expected.

Reinforcing that question right now is a price war sparked by two smaller national firms, T-Mobile USA and Sprint, that is squeezing wireless carrier margins. While Verizon and AT&T haven’t been as aggressive as their two rivals, each has been forced to cut the effective price it charges for wireless data. Verizon, for instance, recently raised the amount of data it offers for $80 a month to 10 gigabytes from six.

The price cuts are a meaningful development for anyone whose business is connected with the mobile industry, making it easier for consumers to use mobile services.