“The deployment of 5G requires regulatory simplification, making decisions in Congress to remove barriers to deployment and lower costs for cable installation, as well as lower the cost of spectrum. Regulators must also be fifth generation”, assures Carlos Lugo, Officer of the Region of the Americas of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
In Mexico, telecommunications operators such as Telcel and AT&T pay up to 89% more than the total cost of the bands and the right to the radio spectrum, while other nations such as Germany, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands and others from Continental Europe (such as Switzerland, Sweden, Austria and Denmark) only pay 5% of the total cost to access the bands, according to with The City.
This situation caused Telephone in 2019 decided to return the spectrum bands that it had tendered and instead has opted for an infrastructure sharing model with AT&T to continue operating and heal its finances. This month, the company of Spanish origin will finish delivering the entire spectrum.
In this sense, Lucas Gallitto, GSMA Director for Latin Americaassured that another issue that telecommunications regulators must ensure for the development of 5G is the certainty of investments, since this new technology requires million-dollar injections for its deployment, added to a dissemination of the practical use of this new network for citizens.
“Connectivity has the power to change people but it will only change those who are connected. In addition, an environment of digital skills must be provided so that they find the value of using the mobile service,” says the GSMA director.
For its part, Daniel Hajj, CEO of America Movil, He assured that for the deployment of 5G, which his company has already started in Mexico, it is necessary for the IFT to have a new regulation that can boost investment and help close the digital divide.