SAO PAULO, Brazil-Telecom regulatory authority, Anatel, plans to auction personal communications services licenses later this year in three geographic regions, with up to three operators in each area.
The regions will be similar to the fixed telephony regions: northeast, central-south and the state of S o Paulo. Brazil’s fixed telephony operators cannot participate in the auction, and current cellular operators in Bands A and B cannot operate in Band C in the same geographic areas where they already offer service.
The decision of Anatel to allow three new mobile operators in each area follows its decision to use the 1.8 GHz frequency band. Later this year, the first of three licenses will be awarded in each of the Band C regions, competing with the current operators of Bands A and B, which use the 800 MHz spectrum band. Two additional 1.8 GHz operators will be licensed in 2001 and designated Bands D and E, respectively.
