US telco AT&T(NYSE:T) requires additional spectrum to consolidate its presence in Mexico, a company spokesperson said.According to Cristina Ruiz Velasco, external affairs executive director at AT&T Mexico, the company can only rely on 250MHz of spectrum…
US telco AT&T(NYSE:T) requires additional spectrum to consolidate its presence in Mexico, a company spokesperson said.
According to Cristina Ruiz Velasco, external affairs executive director at AT&T Mexico, the company can only rely on 250MHz of spectrum to offer its services, while in Canada and the US, about 400MHz and 600MHz of spectrum respectively are made available for mobile operators.
The telco, which this year acquired both third-largest carrier Iusacell and Nextel Mexico, plans to invest US$3bn over the next 3 years to bring broadband coverage to 100 million subscribers.
The Dallas-based telco, which is merging Iusacell and Nextel, aims to create the first ‘North American Mobile Service Area’ covering more than 400 million customers and business in the US and Mexico.
The company is reportedly looking to rent towers from America Movil’s proposed tower spin-off, Telesites, to help expand its wireless network. That transaction is likely to be delayed until September.
The country’s next mobile spectrum auction is scheduled for October. The government plans to tender 130 MHz in the 2.5 GHz band, 90 MHz in the 700 MHz band and 80 MHz in the AWS band, which covers frequencies in the 1.7 GHz/2.1 GHz range.
