Chile. With a technical tie between the proposals presented by the companies Entel and Claro, the 5G Contest, organized by the Undersecretary of Telecommunications, resulted. Thus, the award of the five 10 MHz blocks in the 3.5 GHz band must be carried out through an auction on June 17 at the offices of the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications.
The Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Juan Carlos Muñoz, pointed out that, "our country enjoys an important leadership in telecommunications and as a Government we seek to consolidate this position. This tender makes it possible to increase 5G coverage in more than 120 new locations and illuminate more than 1,600 kilometres, thus responding to the connectivity and security needs of those living in isolated areas. Thus, we materialize our commitment to improve people's quality of life through a public policy that makes good use of goods that belong to all people, such as the telecommunications spectrum, and also generates economic rewards for the State."
Meanwhile, the Undersecretary of Telecommunications, Claudio Araya, said that, "we are making progress in increasing coverage at the national level, with state-of-the-art technology, such as 5G. That's always good news. However, the completion of this project is not only positive in terms of digital connectivity, but also in all the productive and economic development that results from projects such as this one. Deploying 5G networks means generating new jobs, mobilizing the local economy and therefore strengthening regional development."
Auction
According to current legislation, companies must submit technical projects, which must comply with the stipulated requirements, mainly coverage, with each element being evaluated.
In the event that the applicant companies do not obtain the total score necessary to be awarded the blocks offered, an auction must be held. In this instance, companies make an economic offer for each available unit, awarding the best one.
5G Contest
The current 5G tender, which is part of the Zero Digital Divide Plan of the Undersecretary of Telecommunications, seeks to consolidate a vision of the State around access to digital connectivity everywhere in the country where people live.
For this reason, in this new version the objective is to incorporate 121 localities that currently do not have this technology; in addition to connecting 1,500 kilometers of road, responding to the connectivity and safety needs of those who live in isolated areas.
