Overview
- AT&T submitted formal observations to the Comisión Reguladora de Telecomunicaciones on July 16–17 asking for spectrum caps, public pricing, lower annual fees, CNA involvement in accumulation limits, and recognition of known 3.5 GHz interference in specific regions.
- The company identified four main obstacles in the prebases: lack of transparent economic reference values, high recurring fiscal fees that raise the cost of participation, an accumulation‑calculation method it calls arbitrary, and unaddressed technical coexistence constraints with satellite and broadcast services.
- The CRT's prebases propose up to 240 lots of 10 MHz in the 2.3 GHz band with 10‑year concessions, but the regulator has not published key economic reference values or detailed technical coexistence rules needed for bidders to assess viability.
- AT&T says the CRT’s band selection and a 20% national holding threshold would exclude national carriers under the regulator’s count; the company argues that including additional bands reduces its calculated share to about 18.9% and wants the CNA to set accumulation limits.
- The dispute builds on Mexico’s high spectrum costs and uneven past auctions — annual fees are reported far above international norms and prior tenders saw low participation or cancellation — outcomes that could slow 5G industrial deployments and raise costs for operators and users.