Argentina’s telecoms regulator has opened the 2.3-2.4 GHz band for private 4G/5G networks, offering 10-year SPIBA licences for indoor/outdoor enterprise use to support Industry 4.0 growth in the country.
In sum – what to know:
Mid-band spectrum – for enterprises to deploy private 4G/5G networks via new SPIBA licences, valid for 10 years with renewal options.
Indoor and outdoor – licences to cover local and regional operations, with channel allocations subject to availability and potential bidding.
Targeted sectors – include mining, agriculture, oil, automotive, and manufacturing, aiming to boost operational efficiency and tech autonomy.
Argentinian telecoms regulator ENACOM is to make available the 2.3-2.4 GHz band for enterprises in Argentina to lease their own local spectrum for their own private 4G/5G networks. It said the allocation will be divided into 10 radio channels of 10 MHz each, designated for either dedicated indoor or outdoor private 4G/5G networks for exclusive enterprise usage, defined within certain geographic perimeters. It is offering licences on a 10-year term, with the option to renew. It has earmarked them for enterprise broadband and industrial IoT usage.
ENACOM has designated four channels (40 MHz of bandwidth) each for indoor and outdoor usage; the other two (20 MHz) are subject to flexible allocation, “based on specific needs and conditions”, which may be assigned for either indoor or outdoor private network deployments. As such, enterprises can take a maximum of six channels (60 MHz) for indoor usage; the outdoor maximum is to be confirmed when the registration period for interested parties has closed, and ENACOM can make a clearer assessment of the interest from enterprises and availability of spectrum.
There is an asterisk against the six-channel maximum anyway – “when spectrum availability permits”, said ENACOM in a statement. The new regulation goes by the title, Sistema Privado Inalámbrico de Banda Ancha (SPIBA; Private Wireless Broadband System); ENACOM has defined the indoor and outdoor licences as SPIBA Interior, geared for enclosed spaces (factories, warehouses, and other enterprise buildings), and SPIBA General, for installations that also go outdoors (utilities, ports, mines, oil fields, and so on).
SPIBA Interior licences, covering up to four channels, will be available on demand. SPIBA General licences, also covering up to four channels, will be awarded through bidding, auction, or public competition, it said; they will extend to a range of up to 400 square kilometres.There is no word on the licence fees, otherwise; except that different charges will apply for each type of licence. It is unclear where indoor/outdoor ‘campus’ style deployments sit – likely in the SPIBA Interior category, versus the kinds of macro-sized installations covered by the general specification.
ENACOM called it a “momentous step” to “boost the growth of strategic sectors of national industry”. It cited the mining, oil and gas, agriculture, automotive, construction, road and rail, and ports and airports sectors as prime candidates, and suggested private 4G/5G systems will “translate into greater security, operational efficiency, technological autonomy, and quality” for their enterprise-owners. It said: “For example, the agricultural technology, manufacturing, and mining sectors will be able to enhance their capabilities if they have the ability to remotely operate machinery and monitor their processes through IoT through the installation of a private network.”
