Mexican triple-play provider Totalplay on Friday said it is interested in taking part in the tender for country’s US$7 billion shared mobile network.
In an interview with Reuters, Totalplay CEO Eduardo Kuri said his company could have some involvement with building the network, but he wants more information about the project before coming to a final decision about whether to participate.
Mexico plans to roll out a shared wholesale mobile network using 90 MHz of 700-MHz spectrum. As well as improving coverage and capacity, it is hoped the new network will also further boost competition.
The government called for expressions of interest to take part in the project in March with a view to launching the tender in the autumn. According to Reuters, 40 companies, including operators, manufacturers and consultants, responded.
Me xico initially allocated $10 billion for the build, but in May reduced the sum to $7 billion because it discovered the project could be completed using fewer cell towers than originally thought.
The government is also considering whether to allow retail service providers to take part in the shared mobile network build, in addition to renting capacity once it is up and running.
The fact that Totalplay has shown interest in building the shared network is indicative of the shifting competitive dynamics in Mexico wrought by new regulator Ifetel.
The powerful new watchdog has moved quickly to foster competition by imposing new rules to curb America Movil’s dominance. The new regulatory regime was one factor that led to U.S. telco giant AT&T entering the market via the acquisitions of Nextel Mexico and Iusacell.
