The head of Colombia’s spectrum agency, ANE, has said the country plans to auction off its much sought-after 700 MHz spectrum in 2015.
Oscar Leon was quoted as saying that the terms of the auction would be arranged before the end of the year and that…
The head of Colombia’s spectrum agency, ANE, has said the country plans to auction off its much sought-after 700 MHz spectrum in 2015.
Oscar Leon was quoted as saying that the terms of the auction would be arranged before the end of the year and that licences would be awarded next year.
Leon added that frequencies in the 450 MHz, 900 MHz, 1.9 GHz and 2.5 GHz bands were available and could be auctioned in the future, according to local newspaper La Republica.
The 700 MHz frequency is prized by operators due to its ability to penetrate into buildings and transmit over long distances.
Industry watchers will be waiting to see what conditions will be attached to the 700 MHz licences and whether the market leader, America Movil-owned Claro, will be restricted in the amount of spectrum it can acquire in the tender.
Colombia has one of Latin America’s most concentrated wireless markets. Claro has a 60.4% market share – well ahead of Telefonica’s subsidiary Movistar and Millicom’s local unit Tigo, which have 25.3% and 14.1% respectively, according to Informa.
