Chilean telecoms regulator Subtel has received bids from the country’s main operators – Claro, Movistar and Entel – for 700 MHz worth of spectrum that will help boost their 4G services.
The authorities have 30 days to review the…
Chilean telecoms regulator Subtel has received bids from the country’s main operators – Claro, Movistar and Entel – for 700 MHz worth of spectrum that will help boost their 4G services.
The authorities have 30 days to review the offers.
Successful bidders will be expected to offer mobile and broadband services in over 1,200 towns and 500 municipal and educational organisations. In addition to the operators’ bid size, the Chilean government will look at their coverage commitments, quality of service, infrastructure sharing and openness to MVNOs.
The auction process kicked off in October last year, offering a total of 70 MHz, divided into three blocks, in the 713 MHz to 748 MHz band, and 768 MHz to 803 MHz band. Interested parties reportedly had to pay a US$500,000 deposit.
According to the regulator, the auction comes as the country experiences a surge in demand for mobile internet. In the last three years, Chile’s mobile penetration has more than quadrupled, Subtel said citing OECD figures.
Claro, Movistar and Entel all won a block of 2.6 GHz spectrum each in Chile’s July 2012 spectrum auction, allowing the country to raise more than US$12m.
