Chile Confirms LTE Auction to be Held in December
Chile’s telecoms regulator Subtel has confirmed to launch auction for 4G LTE spectrum in the 2.6 GHz band in December and plans to award the licenses around the middle of next year
According to Subtel’s head Jorge Atton, the company is clearing the spectrum and has decided to auction it. The governing body hopes to achieve better coverage and enhanced broadband capacity as a result of spectrum allocation. The auction is scheduled to be held in Dec’10. The company hopes to award the spectrum no later than June, which will coincide with the introduction of number portability and greater competition. By then Nextel and VTR should be operating in the market. The company will have greater competition, which will bring price reductions and better quality of service for the consumer.
The regulator has also been talking of sell digital dividend spectrum in the 700 MHz bands by the next year.
Nextel Chile and VTR win 3G spectrum
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: After winning 60MHz of the 3G spectrum in a closed tender, Nextel Chile has announced that it will invest USD300 million in the mobile network. VTR, a local cableco, an arm of Liberty Global and Nextel both submitted bids for three bands of 30MHz of 3G wireless spectrum. Nextel, offering USD14.6 million for the two bands was the highest bidder, while VTR will pay USD3 million for a single 30MHz band. The contracts are yet to be signed. Both the companies have twelve months to build their 3G networks and start offering services nationally.
Nextel and VTR will compete with Chile’s three main mobile telephone companies Entel PCS, Telefonica (Movistar) and America Movil (Claro), that already have the 3G spectrum.
