ENACOM, Argentina’s telecommunications regulator, has approved the terms of a spectrum auction that was delayed for a considerable period. The auction is intended to facilitate the introduction of 5G services in the nation. ENACOM announced that a combined 300 megahertz of spectrum within the 3.3-3.6 GHz bands will be offered, divided into three segments of 100 megahertz each.

The 3.5GHz 5G range is officially categorised as ‘frequency bands for Reliable & Intelligent Telecommunications Service (Servicio de Telecomunicaciones Fiables e Inteligentes, STeFI)’, and ENACOM’s resolution (issued 28 August 2023) states that a single licensee may acquire no more than 200MHz of STeFI bandwidth in any given geographical licensing zone (‘Exploitation Area’). ENACOM underlined that ‘one of the objectives of this [5G auction] procedure is to avoid the concentration of spectrum and the configuration of a dominant position, to guarantee fair competition between providers and affordable options for users.’