The latest update of Cullen International’s Americas Spectrum Profiles provides details of the regulatory frameworks and radio spectrum policies in 22 countries across the Americas.

Governments in the Americas are responding to increasing demand by allocating and awarding more spectrum to IMT services. The most recent awards include Canada’s auction of 200 MHz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band and Jamaica assigning 20 MHz in the 700 MHz band.

Many spectrum awards are ongoing in the Americas:
 

• In September 2021, Anatel published the final rules and schedule for the auction of 3,710 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz, 2.3 GHz, 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz bands. Brazil aims to foster the adoption of 5G services.
   
• Bidding for the multiband spectrum award started in Mexico on 30 September 2021. In February 2021, Mexico adopted the final rules for the auction of unused blocks of spectrum in the SMR 800 MHz, AWS, 1900 MHz (PCS) and 2.6 GHz bands through a simultaneous multiple round auction. 
   
• The Dominican Republic presented, in February 2021, the rules for the auction of 2x45 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band and 160 MHz in the 3.5 GHz band. The award is part of the spectrum framework plan (PMUER) for the management and assignment of spectrum in the next five years (2022–2026).
   
• The US is at the forefront of making spectrum assignments in the mid bands and millimetre wave spectrum. In January 2021, the FCC asked for comments on bidding options for awarding spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band (Auction 118).Auction 110 will offer 100 MHz of unpaired spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band, with bids beginning on 5 October 2021. In total, the FCC will offer 530 MHz of contiguous mid-band spectrum for 5G services in the 3.45–3.55 GHz, 3.55–3.65 GHz and 3.7–3.98 GHz bands.

Colombia, Ecuador and Peru also announced spectrum awards in 2021. Most of the awards include the 3.5 GHz band.

Colombia published a spectrum award schedule for IMT bands up to 2029, while Costa Rica held a public hearing on the future assignment of frequencies in the 700 MHz, 2.3 GHz, 3.3–3.4 GHz, 26 GHz and 28 GHz bands.

For more information on our report, please click on “Request Access”, or on “Access the full content” in case you are a subscriber of our Americas Spectrum service.