Mexico's New Telecom Regulator Plans Up to 50% Spectrum-Fee Cuts Tied to Coverage in 2026

Overview

• CRT licensing chief Marisol Nava said the 2026 economic package will include a mechanism offering up to a 50% discount on spectrum rights in exchange for coverage in underserved localities and highway segments.
• The regulator said enabling provisions will go to public consultation with the goal of publication in the Official Federal Gazette before year-end.
• The CRT contends Mexico’s spectrum costs sit 7% below the international average and notes annual rights account for roughly 90% of spectrum costs in the country.
• The former IFT and sector consultancies such as The Competitive Intelligence Unit, citing prior GSMA and OECD work, dispute the CRT’s brief methodology and say key bands remain overpriced.
• Industry behavior underscores the dispute, with AT&T and Telefónica returning spectrum in recent years and annual fee revenues falling from about 19,980 million pesos in 2019 to 16,776 million in 2024.