Brazilian telecoms regulator Agencia Nacional de Telecomunicacoes (Anatel) plans to authorise a new tender for spectrum in the 1800MHz, 1900MHz, 2500MHz and 3500MHz bands, with the subsequent auction expected to be geared towards ‘encouraging the participation of small and medium providers’. As such, a public consultation has been initiated, with submissions from stakeholders open for 15 days. Following the consultation, Anatel expects to stage a public hearing in Brasilia to discuss its findings. Starting prices for the available spectrum blocks will announced following the consultation.
As previously reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, in June this year Jose Alexandre Bicalho, Anatel’s superintendent of planning and regulation, asserted that major players Oi, Claro, Vivo and TIM Brasil will all be excluded from the process on the grounds that they have already met their respective spectrum allocations. Meanwhile, Sky Brazil – which is now 93%-owned by AT&T Inc following its takeover of DirecTV – is on record as saying that it seeks to expand its 2500MHz Time Division-Long Term Evolution (TD-LTE) footprint, prompting speculation that AT&T may also pursue additional frequencies. TeleGeography notes that the 1800MHz spectrum was previously held by the nowdefunct Unicel.
