After the failure of the proposed $39 billion merger deal with T-Mobile, Dallas, Texas-based AT&T is now mulling back up plans to look for ways to expand its extremely crowded spectrum.

While AT&T had pinned its hopes on the T-mobile merger for relieving a chunk of its spectrum, the failed merger has now left both the concerned companies searching for solution that may underscore a new fruitful direction.

AT&T has been left to explore other possible opportunities for expanding its spectrum because while the carrier was, over the last one year or so, passionately pursuing the T-Mobile acquisition deal and squabbling with the regulators, rival carriers like Verizon concentrated on broadening their 4G networks by snatching up additional spectrum.

With the only way out for AT&T to avoid lagging behind competition in the 4G arena being inking fast agreements with firms which have ‘spare’ spectrum, the carrier has recently been able to get the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s approval for the purchase of spectrum from Qualcomm.

The deal with Qualcomm will help AT&T meet its much-desired spectrum needs in leading metropolitan areas like Boston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.

The spectrum which AT&T is acquiring from Qualcomm is spare after Qualcomm's now-defunct FLO TV mobile TV service; and will be used by AT&T for accelerating its 4G LTE service.