Telecoms regulator SUTEL awarded spectrum licences to America Movil and Telefonica on Friday, according to media reports.
Reuters reported that Telefonica put forward a bid of US$95m to win one of the bands available.
Claro, owned by America Movil, won…
Telecoms regulator SUTEL awarded spectrum licences to America Movil and Telefonica on Friday, according to media reports.
Reuters reported that Telefonica put forward a bid of US$95m to win one of the bands available.
Claro, owned by America Movil, won another band with a bid of US$75m.
A third band on offer was not given away in the auction. SUTEL may hold another auction for this in the future.
The spectrum on offer was in three bands: 850MHz, 1,800MHz and 2,100MHz.
The awards still need to be approved by Costa Rica’s president. If the awards are approved immediately, they then could be granted in two weeks and the two operators could launch their networks in September.
The entrance of private sector companies into the Costa Rican market will end the telecoms monopoly of the state-owned telco, Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE).
The decision to open up the market was required by the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which Costa Rica joined in 2009.
SUTEL was unavailable for comment before the press deadline.
