The executive branch of Luis Lacalle Pou approved the specifications for the tender for the development of the 5G network in Uruguay and, meanwhile, the auction process must begin in the next 30 daysas established by the government decree, which maintained the requirements for companies provided for in the draft of the regulatory authority, but incorporates some modifications. For example, the tender will be openand not closed as was speculated.
The Communication Services Regulatory Unit (Ursec) will be the body in charge of opening the tender to assign the two blocks within the 3.5 GHz spectrum for 5G that will belong to private companies and will be complemented by the third block reserved for before.
The requirements for the 5G tender
The base price will be $28 million, $6 million above forecast. The official document informs that the winners will pay “the price that the Executive Power establishes in due time in the terms that it determines.”
As established in the decree, companies must have 70 base stations in the national territory in the first year, in the second year at least 2 stations in at least 10 departments except Montevideo, and in the third year at least 2 base stations in each department of the country. country.
The race for 5G is also a geopolitical race between the United States and China in the region. Despite the warnings from the North American power, the approved specifications specify that “any technological standard” will be accepted, so the Asian giant’s technologies will be taken into account.
In addition, since the tender will be open, and not closed as was speculated in the last few hours, all companies may apply regardless of whether or not they already have a license for mobile telecommunications –which were Claro, Movistar and Antel–. However, some of the demands that have generated disagreements in recent weeks will remain.
Dedicated will not be able to submit to the tender
Article 3 of the specifications defines: “Those who at the date of the call provide mobile communications service in the country (IMT, IMT-2000, IMT-Advanced and precursors) may participate in the competitive procedure” or meet a series of requirements. previous and are “prequalified”.
But in addition, the regulations specified that those firms that in the last five years have provided a minimum of two years’ experience in international mobile telecommunications services, in at least two countries in North, Central or South America and/or Europe, may apply.
The national company Dedicado, which had expressed its interest in participating on several occasions, meanwhile, will not be able to do so. In recent weeks, the local company had already denounced that the government seeks to “exclude” it from the auction and had indicated that “the requirements clearly leave the national operator out of competition by requiring in the specifications that they be multinational companies with operations in other countries ”. Meanwhile, from Dedicado they affirmed that they will challenge the decree.
Source: Ambito
