Mexico’s transport and communications ministry (STC) invited potential bidders to submit expression of interest in the country’s planned US$10bn-worth shared network project. They must respond by 22 April, with a tender in early October. The Mexican…
Mexico’s transport and communications ministry (STC) invited potential bidders to submit expression of interest in the country’s planned US$10bn-worth shared network project. They must respond by 22 April, with a tender in early October.
The Mexican government will devote 90 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band to a nationwide 4G/LTE wireless broadband network aimed at improving mobile coverage and penetration across the country, particularly among underserved communities.
The winning entity or consortium, will “design, finance, deploy, operate and commercialize” the shared network, which under Mexican law may be 100%-owned by foreign investors.
In January, China Telecom was rumoured to be looking to bid for the project in partnership with local operators, having secured several billion dollars of financing from China Development Bank and other Chinese state-owned banks.
Last year, six equipment manufacturers carried out field studies for the public-private partnership (PPP), including France’s Alcatel-Lucent and Sweden’s Ericsson, which submitted a joint unsolicited bidding proposal along with a consortium of ex-telecom executives, lawyers and bankers.
However, the STC reportedly decided not accept the consortium’s offer, preferring instead to run a more formal process.
The project, which is due to be completed by 2018, is part of a number of regulatory changes implemented last year under the presidency of Enrique Pena Nieto, in a bid to curb America Movil’s dominance and attract foreign investments.
Critics of the plan have warned that the initiative could dissuade operators from investing in their own networks.
