Wireless Networks

Mexico launches tender for 5G rail network

Mexico launches tender for 5G rail network

Mexico’s Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT), through its Integrated Public Train and Transport Agency (ATTRAPI), has launched an international public tender to provide 5G telecommunications to two of the country’s rail corridors.

The process covers the design, supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance of a 5G standalone railway radiocommunications network on the Mexico City–Queretaro–Irapuato and Saltillo–Nuevo Laredo sections.

The sections covered reportedly amount to 675 kilometres in length. The network will allow for signalling and safety of the trains through a state-of-the-art mobile communication system.

The BNamericas website reports that, after a clarification meeting set for 10 August, the submission and opening of bids are planned for 14 September, and the decision for 25 September, all carried out through the Compras MX platform, the digital public procurement platform of Mexico's Federal Public Administration. The start of the work is planned for 1 October.

The contract, to be carried out between 2026 and 2030, includes a 20% advance payment, a performance bond and a hidden defects guarantee for 12 months.

The technical details include a provision that the network must to be available 99.9% of the time, with guaranteed coverage inside the trains and a response time of less than 50 milliseconds, which is important for reliable train control and signalling and, by extension, passenger and staff safety.

The tender is part of ATTRAPI's 2026-2030 Institutional Programme, which includes 13 railway routes and more than 3,000 kilometres of new tracks with the aim of guaranteeing an integrated, efficient and safe Mexican railway system by 2030. The 5G radiocommunications tender is one of the first technical contracts resulting from that programme.



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