In Uruguay The term granted by the government is about to expire so that the companies interested in the auction for the 5G network in the country present defenses on the draft of the specifications for the bidding process. In the same context, there are several countries of Latin America who are also on the road to modernizing telecommunications spectrums.
The survey corresponds to 5G Americas —one of the companies that would participate in the local auction— and gives an account of advances in this technology in eight countries in addition to Uruguay: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, The Salvador, Mexico, Panama and Peru. Although each nation has its own regulatory framework, which establishes the processes for the delivery or concession of the radioelectric spectrum, they all coincide in betting on this new technology.
Progress at the regional level
El Salvador is one of the Latin American countries that is advancing in 5G. In this sense, in February it awarded 30 MHz in the band Advanced Wireless Services (AWS)included in 1,700-2,100 MHz. Panama, for its part, opened a tender aimed at the entry of a third cell operator in the country, in addition to receiving spectrum assignment requests for existing operators.
Likewise, Mexico, Colombia and Costa Rica opened public consultations for the granting of radio spectrum at various frequencies —both high, medium and low—; and Peru relaunched an auction to increase the spectrum available in the AWS-3 and 2.3 GHz bands.
Argentina, meanwhile, has already defined that it will grant a 300 MHz concession in the 3.5 GHz band, and it is expected that in the first half of this year the bidding specifications are published. As for Chile, the country is preparing a new spectrum auction also for the 3.5 GHz band.
What happens in Uruguay?
In the country the term expires that the Executive power allowed operators interested in participating in the auction for two of the three radio spectrum —the third is reserved for Antel— present defenses on the deletion of the specifications that detail the bases and conditions for the bidding; and the adjudication is expected to take place in April.
Regarding criticism, the point most questioned by Movistar, of course. Dedicated, 5G Americas, GSMA and asiet were the advantages granted to Antel in the bidding process and the basic price for the auction. And even the Frente Amplio sector of the board of directors of the Communication Services Regulatory Unit (Ursec) filed complaints for irregularities in the process.
The specifications determine that the auction will be for three lots of radio frequencies corresponding to the 3.5 GHz band, one of which will be reserved for Antel, which will pay the average value at which the other two are acquired. The base price will be 28 million dollars.s.
Likewise, participating companies must be authorized to provide “mobile communications” services or meet a series of prerequisites and be “prequalified”. Among them, a minimum experience of two years providing international mobile telecommunications services, within the last five years in at least two countries of North, Central or South America and/or Europe.
They will also have to present the financial statements corresponding to the fiscal years of the years 2020 and 2021 and demonstrate that they invoice more than 50 million dollars annually. Conditions to which are added a series of requirements for the winning companies.
Source: Ambito
