Chile’s telecommunications regulator Subtel announced that closed envelope auctions will be held next month to assign 5G frequencies in the 700MHz, AWS and 3.5GHz bands, while spectrum in the 26GHz band will be allocated without a tender. In a statement, the watchdog confirmed that all three operators who expressed an interest in the 26GHz band auction (Claro, Entel and WOM) will be awarded the 4x400MHz frequencies in view of the availability of sufficient bandwidth.
In the 700 MHz band, operators Borealnet and WOM will contest for the 2×10MHz block on 08 February, with the same two companies and Claro bidding for the 2×15MHz made available in the AWS band on 11 February and all five interested parties (Claro, Entel, Movistar, WOM and Borealnet) bidding for the 150 MHz of frequencies made available in the 3.5 GHz band on 16 February.
The 30-year licences come with obligations to cover public institutions, including hospitals, as well as a requirement to cover all regional and provincial capitals at the first stage before expanding to reach at least 90 percent of the population.
