Mexican telecoms regulator IFT has announced that companies interested in bidding for the 80 MHz of spectrum available in the AWS band (1.7-2.1 GHz) will have until 17 December to submit their applications. The auction will finally take place on 15 February and will be conducted on the basis of a combinatorial clock auction (CCA) system for the first time in Mexico. Although no operator will be prevented from entering the auction, the amount of spectrum a single provider can own will be limited. A total of 80 MHz will be available, including three 10 MHz blocs in the AWS-1 band at a starting price of MXN 937 million, plus five blocks in the AWS-3 band at a starting price of MXN 65 million. The new AWS auction will be Mexico's second, after it awarded 60 MHz of spectrum in the AWS-1 band back in 2010.
