It has been a long time coming, but Mexico’s much-anticipated auction of 5G-enabling spectrum looks set to take place in 2022, although a more detailed timetable has yet to be revealed.

The Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones (IFT) said its Programa Anual de Trabajo 2022 includes plans to auction off frequencies in the 600MHz, 3.3GHz and 3.5GHz bands, along with the L band (spectrum in the 1500MHz range).

As has been the case with many countries, Mexico’s earlier plans to hold a 5G auction were thwarted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Figure 1: Ready, set...: Mexico's long awaited 5G auction is finally scheduled for 2022 - although no one is sure exactly when.
(Source: Xinhua / Alamy Stock Photo)

Mexico did manage to hold an auction of unused 4G frequencies in October 2021, although the results of that were not particularly encouraging.

At the time, only AT&T Mexico and Telcel submitted bids, picking up 800MHz and 2.5GHz frequencies respectively. Blocks in the 1700MHz/2100MHz and 1900MHz bands, as well as other 800MHz allocations, went unsold.

Make do and mend

Meanwhile, some limited 5G services have already been deployed. AT&T Mexico said in December 2021 that it had launched 5G services, reportedly using its existing license in the 2.5GHz band.

In late 2021, América Móvil indicated it was ready to launch 5G in Mexico, but without providing a timeframe. Telcel also seems to be ready and willing to start 5G once it has the necessary licenses.

In its report, "The Mobile Economy: Latin America 2021," the GSMA estimated that 5G would account for 14% of subscribers by 2025, compared to 54% for 4G. The association noted that in Latin America, 5G is still at a nascent stage of development as operators have largely focused on migrating 2G and 3G customers to 4G networks.

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"4G adoption is still rising in the region and is not expected to peak until 2024," the GSMA said.

The report also noted that the number of unique mobile subscribers in Latin America was expected to reach nearly 450 million by the end of 2021, increasing to 485 million by 2025 (73% of the population). Around half of new subscribers are expected to come from Brazil and Mexico during this period.

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— Anne Morris, contributing editor, special to Light Reading