AT&T Mexico has returned a portion of its 800MHz spectrum to the country’s regulator in a bid to reduce its costs.
As reported by El Universal, the operator concluded that per subscriber it pays 242% more than its rival Telcel for using these frequencies, which it considers untenable. Accordingly, it has handed back permits for cellular regions 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 to the IFT (Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones).
TeleGeography notes that AT&T’s decision marks the second time in 2020 that a Mexican mobile provider has returned spectrum. Movistar relinquished its full holding of 1900MHz and 2500MHz spectrum in Q1, raising €95 million (US$104 million) and freeing it from coverage requirements.
Movistar handed back these airwaves after signing a last mile wireless capacity access agreement with none other than AT&T, allowing it access to capacity on the US-owned operator’s 3G and 4G networks.
