On March 5, the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC, for its acronym in Spanish) issued Resolution No. 095-2020-MTC/27 which repeals the process reordering the 3.5 GHz band aimed at providing greater connectivity and 5G navigation speeds. Formerly approved by resolutions 358-2019-MTC/27 and 464-2019-MTC/27, the issue will now return to the entity for further study before a measure is proposed to “optimize” the use of frequencies.

The observations and comments received during the process will now be sent to the General Directorate of Policies and Regulation in Communications, and the Permanent Multisectorial Commission of the National Plan for Frequency Allocation. These will be used as input to evaluate alternative regulatory measures. In the coming months, a public consultation will be held to discuss ways of optimizing frequency band use. Access comments sent by the operators by clicking here.

For its part, the MTC issued a statement explaining the reasons for repealing the band rearrangement contemplated in Resolution 464-2019-MTC/27, noting that it is necessary to carry out “complementary studies” to the project in order to optimize the use of the 3.5 GHz band. Likewise, the new analyses will seek to identify “a sufficiently-developed regulatory alternative which meets the criteria of effectiveness and efficiency.”