The Mexican regulator has published details of the country’s long-awaited 3G mobile spectrum auctions, a process that is expected to lead to new competition for Mexico’s runaway market leader, Telcel. Cofetel will auction nine blocks of spectrum in the 1850MHz-1990MHz band in eight of the country's nine mobile operating regions, including the capital Mexico City, the regulator said in an official document. Cofetel said it will also offer seven blocks of spectrum between 1710MHz and 2170MHz in all nine operating regions, which could give auction winners a nationwide presence. The auction is open to both existing spectrum holders and potential new market entrants. No start date for the auction was indicated.
According to Dow Jones Newswires, one possible new entrant is Televisa, Mexico's largest broadcaster with equity stakes in three large cable-TV companies, which is looking to add mobile broadband to its current offering of phone, Internet and pay-TV services. Other potential bidders may include the country's smallest mobile operators Grupo Iusacell, which is currently in talks with creditors to restructure its debt, and Nextel Mexico, a unit of Latin American group NII Holdings. It is hoped the auction will provide competition for America Movil’s Telcel, which has over a 72 percent share of Mexico’s mobile market and is the only operator in the country to have rolled out 3G services to date. Click here for recent Wireless Intelligence analysis on the Mexican mobile market.
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