Mexico’s telecoms regulator on Sunday announced that it will auction off 80 MHz of mobile spectrum in the AWS-1 and AWS-3 bands in January, and called for public comments on its plans.
The Federal Telecommunications Institute, known as IFT or Ifetel, said it will sell 30 MHz of AWS-1 spectrum (1710-1725 MHz/2110-2125 MHz) and 50 MHz of AWS-3 spectrum (1755-1780 MHz/2155-2180 MHz).
The spectrum is suitable for the provision of LTE services, the regulator said in a statement.
The contest will be open to Mexico’s existing mobile operators as well as newcomers wishing to roll out a Mexican mobile network.
IFT will make auction documentation available in November with a view to start the bidding process in January 2016.
In the meantime, it is calling for comment on the format of the sale, including on the size of available spectrum blocks, reserve prices, and the issue of contiguous spectrum.
IFT proposes selling off 5 MHz blocks of paired spectrum. Participants will be permitted to bid for multiple blocks, but the regulator is considering setting a cap on the amount of spectrum any one player can acquire in order to facilitate the entry of new players.
It proposes to carry out a combinatorial clock auction (CCA), a format commonly used in Europe and elsewhere, for what it says is the first time in Latin America.
"This format generates results that improve efficiency in the use of spectrum and therefore improve competition in the long term in the mobile market" the IFT said.
Interested parties have until 16 October to submit comments.
