Chile’s Movistar is looking to sell a 10MHz block of 1900MHz spectrum via a private tender.
Local outlet Diario Financiero reported that the operator will start the tender process on 25th September. Movistar has previously attempted to sell spectrum twice, but was thwarted by regulator Subtel (Subsecretaria de Telecomunicaciones) after failing to meet relevant regulations.
Movistar is keen to shift the spectrum so that it can acquire more airwaves in the 700MHz band, reports TeleGeography. In 2014, the operator bid on spectrum in this frequency alongside rivals Claro and Entel, but in 2018 Chile’s Supreme Court ruled that all three operators had violated spectrum limit laws by doing so.
Despite the fact that regulations around spectrum holdings had been updated by the time of the ruling, the court ordered the operators to meet the requirements that would have been in place when they acquired the spectrum in 2014.
This met with outcry from the operators, prompting the court to revise its decision in October 2019. The providers were granted different options to comply with the regulation - including selling off parts of their spectrum holdings.
