Mexico to auction wireless spectrum in January

Mexico will auction 80 MHz of wireless spectrum in January, the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) said in a statement on Sunday.

The regulator on Monday will start seeking public comment on its bid proposal before deciding the final terms and conditions for the auction, the statement said.

The auction, which will be open to existing as well as new market participants, will put 50 MHz of so-called AWS-3 airwaves and 30 MHz of AWS-1 airwaves up for grabs, the IFT said.

Since declaring Carlos Slim's América Móvil dominant in the sector last year, the IFT has been introducing stricter measures designed to boost access to a sector seen as less competitive than Mexico's peers. América Móvil operates around 70 percent of Mexico's mobile and fixed lines.