Colombia awards three operators bandwidth in $1.5 bln auction
21/12/2019 14:02
BOGOTA, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Colombia has awarded bandwidth to
three bidders in an auction that raised 5 trillion pesos ($1.5
billion) as part of efforts to improve mobile telephone services
and expand internet access.
Claro, a subsidiary of America Movil AMXL.MX , Tigo de
Millicom MICsdb.ST and Novator Partners from Britain were all
awarded bandwith in the auction, while Movistar, a subsidiary of
Telefónica TEF.MC of Spain, was not.
"This is the largest mobile social connectivity project in
the history of Colombia that will allow, for the first time, to
bring internet to millions of Colombians in rural areas,"
President Ivan Duque said on Twitter.
Claro dominates Colombia's mobile market, followed by
Movistar, Tigo, Avantel AVAN.BO and ETB ETB.CN .
The Ministry of Information Technology and Communications
said on Friday that Claro was awarded 20 megahertz (MHz) in the
700 MHz band and 30 Mhz in the 2,500 MHz band.
Tigo won 40 MHz in the 700 Mhz band and Novator Partners
secured 20 MHz in the 700 Mhz band and 30 MHz in the 2,500 Mhz
band, it added in a statement.
No offers were submitted for the 1,900 MHz band and in the
700 MHz band 10 MHz were left over. All of the 2,500 MHz band on
offer was taken.
The 700 megahertz band covers Colombia's least developed and
most rural regions, while the higher megahertz bands are useful
for service providers seeking market share in urban areas, where
their range helps ensure service amid higher user density.
(Reporting by Nelson Bocanegra
Writing by Oliver Griffin; editing by James Drummond and
Alexander Smith)
((Oliver.griffin@thomsonreuters.com +57-304-583-8931))