Mexico’s Movistar has reportedly pushed back its deadline for switching off its 2G network.
As reported by TeleGeography, the operator began the deactivation process on 31st March 2019 in Merida, the largest city in Yucatan state. The 2G network was then gradually shuttered across other locations, with the operator earmarking 30th September 2020 as the date on which the 2G network would be switched off in the final location, Mexico City.
However, Movistar has reportedly delayed this proposed final shutdown to 1st January 2021. Once it has shuttered its 2G network, Movistar will be entirely dependent on using AT&T’s infrastructure.
Movistar and AT&T Mexico signed a connectivity agreement in November 2019 for last mile wireless capacity access. The deal lets Movistar use capacity on AT&T’s existing Mexican 3G and 4G networks as well as any further networks built in the future.
After signing the deal, Movistar opted to return its full holding of 1900MHz and 2500MHz spectrum in the first quarter of 2020, receiving around US$100 million in exchange as well as being unbound from the coverage obligations of the 2500MHz band.
