Mexican is set to become the first country in the world to completely free up spectrum in the 600MHz band for 5G services after communications regulator IFT approved the reallocation of 48 channels using radio frequencies between 614MHz and 698MHz to DTT. The migration will see the channels continue operating in the UHF band under channel 37, said the IFT, adding that other countries to have adopted ITU proposals to repurpose spectrum in the 600MHz band include Canada, New Zealand and the US, where last year's broadcast incentive auction raised over USD 19 billion.
The announcement comes just a few days before the activation of Mexico’s wholesale 4G shared network on the 700MHz band. The Altan consortium is due to activate the first phase of the ‘Red Compartida’ network, covering 30 percent of the country’s population, on 31 March.
