NRA evaluating requests for 700MHz licences; October auction could raise USD120m

Guatemala’s Superintendence of Telecommunications (Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones, SIT) is reportedly evaluating requests for a number of spectrum licences in the 700MHz band. BNAmericas notes that Claro has requested six blocks in the 718MHz-803MHz range, while Tigo has expressed an interest in the following blocks: 733MHz-748MHz, 773MHz-788MHz, 788MHz-803MHz and 718MHz-733MHz. An additional company, manufacturing firm Fabrigas, has requested six blocks in the 700MHz band.

A separate report from Prensa Libre quotes SIT boss Marco Antonio Baten Ruiz as saying that an auction is likely to be scheduled, given the demand in the 4G/5G-suitable 700MHz band. Additional parties are invited to submit expressions of interest (EoI) by 21 July, with an auction earmarked for September or October. Mr Ruiz expects the process to generate between USD110 million and USD120 million.

TeleGeography notes that a 700MHz auction has been on the cards since at least 2016, only to be delayed due to regulatory reshuffles and changes in government. If it comes to fruition, the 700MHz auction will represent Guatemala’s second spectrum sale of 2023. On 2 June an auction of 2.5GHz-2.6GHz frequencies generated a total of USD48.947 million, of which Tigo paid a total of USD32.236 million and Claro bid USD16.711 million.