More than 1,561 new rural towns will have 4G mobile telephone and internet services

Lima, June 2, 2021- The Special Public Tender for the AWS-3 and 2.3 GHz Radio Spectrum Bands projects will allow more than 1,561 new rural towns, with more than 300,000 inhabitants in total to have access to services 4G mobiles (telephony and Internet) to expand its connectivity and integrate into Peru and the world.

In addition, these bands will make it possible to increase the capacity and quality of 4G mobile services provided in urban areas throughout the national territory, supporting the strong growth expected in data traffic.

To promote both projects, the Peruvian Private Investment Promotion Agency (PROINVERSION) and the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) organized the webinar "Peru: attractive investment opportunity in AWS-3 and 2.3 GHz Radio Spectrum Bands”, in order to attract global investors to provide telecommunications services, which will improve connectivity and enhance our competitiveness.

During the event, the technical financial and legal aspects of the tender and of both projects were detailed, drawing the attention of the participants representing telephone companies, information technology companies, consultants, investment funds, among others. The webinar was attended by Minister of Transport and Communications, Eduardo González; Vice Minister of Communications, Diego Carrillo; and executive director of PROINVERSION, Rafael Ugaz.

"One of the central objectives of the government is to close the digital connectivity gap in the country. This contest is part of a package of measures adopted by this administration so that more than one million Peruvians, from 2,600 localities, benefit from the service of Likewise, we aim to achieve investments of more than S/1,500 million. These initiatives are aimed at providing greater coverage of telecommunications services in rural areas that currently do not have Internet access”, said Minister of Transportation and Communications, Eduardo González.

The executive director of PROINVERSION, Rafael Ugaz, commented that thanks to the availability of 4G mobile services, the beneficiary localities will be able to expand their access to information, improve the quality of their communications and develop distance education services and telehealth services that are of vital importance to citizens.

This project joins the projects that PROINVERSION has been putting out to tender in recent years at the request of the MTC, among which are included the Regional Broadband Projects for comprehensive connectivity and social development that cover a large part of the national territory (21 regional projects) and that have made it possible to partially meet the greater remote communication needs as a result of the measures taken in the face of COVID-19 pandemic.

Likewise, Rafael Ugaz highlighted the interest of private investment and specified that this type of investment is of vital importance to close the infrastructure gap in the country.

THE PROJECTS

The AWS-3 and 2.3 GHz Radio Spectrum Bands projects promoted by PROINVERSION on behalf of the MTC, were called for a Special Public Bid on May 14, 2021. Each band has the following blocks and frequency ranges:

• AWS-3 band: A 30 MHz + 30 MHz block, in the 1,750 - 1,780 MHz and 2,150-2,180 MHz frequency range. 
• 2.3 GHz band: A 30 MHz block, in the 2,300 - 2,330 MHz frequency range. 

The modality of participation of private investment, under which both bands are promoted, is Active Projects (PA) as a single concession contract. Those that will be awarded, in each case, to the bidder who obtains the highest score, based on the offer –as mandatory investment commitments- of a greater number of additional locations to be implemented in the shortest time.

The winner of the AWS-3 Band must implement a mobile telecommunications network to cover a minimum of 1,171 rural locations distributed throughout the entire Peruvian territory. At least 118 of them will be located in the Valley of the Apurimac, Ene and Mantaro rivers and in the jungle area of the country. Meanwhile, the winner of the 2.3 GHz Band must implement a mobile telecommunications network to cover a minimum of 390 rural towns distributed throughout the entire Peruvian territory.

The Bidding Bases are available to those interested in the Web Portal, which contain the Bidding procedure, the qualification requirements, the guarantees to be presented, the criteria applicable selection criteria, among other documents.

"PROINVERSION maintains its commitment to the development of social infrastructure through mechanisms for promoting private investment, in order to contribute to closing infrastructure gaps and providing quality services to the population”, said executive director of PROINVERSION, Rafael Ugaz.