The Argentine government will hold a 5G technology bandwidth slot tender on October 24 at the Centro Cultural Kirchner (CCK) in Buenos Aires City. The offer is for three slots at a starting price of US$350 million each. The winner of each bid will be awarded the slot for 20 years.  

The government expects to collect over US$1 billion with the development of this technology.

Mobile communication providers Claro, Movistar and Telecom — which have their own mobile networks — have been prequalified as bidders for the tender. The services they intend to offer have already been analyzed and approved.

According to a press release from the National Communications Entity (ENACOM, by its Spanish acronym), the process leading to the tender, as well as the starting price, are in line with other countries where the 5G tender has been successful.

To ensure competition, companies are only allowed to bid on one of the three 100 MHz slots located between the 3,300 MHz and 3,600 MHz bandwidth. 

5G is the name given to the fifth-generation technology for broadband networks, which are capable of connecting several wireless devices to internet and cellphone networks with higher speed and lower response time than previous technology. In order to do this, 5G typically uses higher bandwidths than 4G, which increases a network’s efficiency. 

This technology is crucial for the development of what is known as the internet of things, the data connectivity between appliances like refrigerators or laundry machines and the internet. 5G allows this to take place without slowing down or overloading the network. 

Although Argentine cities including Buenos Aires, Rosario and Córdoba already have 5G antennas, the technology has not been available yet mainly because the bandwidth required for its transmission is limited and expensive. Latin American countries with 5G networks in place include Brazil, Mexico and Chile.