Mexico’s telecommunications regulator IFT paved the way in which for the nation’s largest cell operator Telcel, owned by America Movil, to launch 5G providers within the nation.

In a launch, the watchdog stated that its plenary accredited the request for modification of 18 concession titles of Telcel to make use of frequency bands within the 3.45-3.55 GHz section for the supply of cell wi-fi entry service. Till now, the telco had authorization to use this frequency band for the supply of fastened wi-fi entry providers.

The regulator famous that the accredited modification consists of working circumstances for Telcel to supply due safety towards dangerous interference to satellite tv for pc providers that function within the 3.4-3.7 GHz section in Mexico.

Telcel can pay 900 million pesos ($43.8 million) per yr for rights to make use of the spectrum, which was initially licensed for fastened providers.

“With this, Telcel will be capable to put into operation the most important 5G business community in Latin America, based mostly on the deployment it has been finishing up for the supply of fastened wi-fi entry providers with 5G know-how. On this manner, our nation is on the forefront within the deployment of fifth technology cell providers. The deployment of this community may even signify an enchancment within the telecommunications providers of all its customers, because of the rebalancing of the site visitors that it will likely be capable of obtain by different frequency bands that Telcel has in concession,” IFT stated.

América Móvil CEO Daniel Hajj stated in the course of the convention name to announce the telco’s quarterly outcomes that the provider has “every part able to launch 5G” in Latin America. He highlighted that work has been executed over the previous few years relating to community virtualization, fiber to the node, and cell modernization to prepare for the 5G launch.

Hajj stated that America Movil expects to launch 5G providers in 90% of the international locations the place it operates throughout 2020. “I don’t have a selected date, however all around the yr we’re engaged on a launch. I hope we are able to do it within the first semester of this yr,” Hajj stated.

Colombia is the one nation the place America Movil, which is managed by the household of Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, doesn’t but have spectrum for the launch of 5G know-how, he added. “We hope that the federal government would velocity up that possibility,” Hajj stated.

IFT just lately confirmed that the 5G spectrum public sale for cell providers will happen throughout 2022. The 5G public sale was included within the watchdog’s 2022 work plan, which outlines the bidding course of for spectrum blocks within the 600MHz, 3.3GHz and three.5GHz bands, in addition to the L band.

This 5G public sale was initially anticipated to happen within the second half of 2020, however was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

America Movil’s rival telco AT&T Mexico had just lately introduced that it had began the deployment of its 5G community within the nation utilizing spectrum within the 2.5 GHz band. The provider stated on the time that it had already linked the primary 50 cell units to its 5G community.

The preliminary protection of AT&T’s 5G community is proscribed to the Cuauhtémoc and the Napoles districts in Mexico Metropolis.