Argentina suspends the spectrum auction and a mobile operator launches state ARSAT

Argentina finally decided to suspend the remaining spectrum tender sale of Movicom BellSouth which was held by Movistar and create, without further details, a mobile operator ARSAT 100% state capital is going to get their hands on 25% of the spectrum for 3G networks in the country an asset that many consider the crown jewels at a time when smartphones are growing steadily.

The never-ending spectrum

To put things in context; Movicom was the first mobile operator in Argentina, created in 1989 and involving Motorola, Bell South and SOCMA Group ... After starting with AMPS (remember the Pouch Moto gave us) went to CDMA2000 where they were leading up to 1900 MHz in 2003 began the competition with Miniphone owned by Telefónica Móviles and Telecom Argentina (which had participation of Telecom Italia SpA and is being used to squeeze the arm now TASA) subject of another conflict in door.

In 2005, after Unifón as Telefónica's mobile unit is the assets acquired and inherited from the spectrum at frequencies 800/1900 MHz that the legally could not own and something that Telefónica never denied nor the Government was quick to bid.

Since then, it's been seven years, there were ups and downs for the spectrum bid or not to have it clear: the frequencies of radio spectrum for mobile operators are the cornerstone of its infrastructure ... with what has value gigantic political and financial.

State mobile operators, mobile virtual network operators and foreign

I honestly do not know where to start but interest in this spectrum and its tender so often delayed, rescheduled and interests brought up announced:

• International operators like Vodafone who entered Chile with a small investment in Entel PCS
• National Cooperatives as forming ended Prayer, the operator what remains?
• Existing operators: Claro, Nextel and Telecom, to expand their businesses
• New players: Multitrunk (Grupo Roggio), Viettel and Superphone (Vila-Manzano Group)

The problem? Nobody has the ability Sonana government investment and over the only course that was technically termed the Group company America Movil, with what you have come to your hands this would have generated a competitive and legal disputes thousand.

Is the rest of the stakeholders? This is a personal opinion, I would have paid attention to our cooperatives to be formed by covering much of the country and could have come from being a MVNO esquma and therefore grow a little more ... but nothing is certain.

Fuzzy details without spokespeople willing

Do not understand how the Minister De Vido could have made this announcement, mentioning to Resolution 57/11, but not communicated anything to those interested in bids that were investing time and money to prepare and create deals.

Tampooco understand everything to be with fuzzy details does the 100% domestic capital will serve to create new infrastructure and be a wholesale market in the Mobile Virtual Network Operators? Competition yes open many new niche players or massive (and even turn to friends), the strategic value of this spectrum is so large I do not understand this lack of detail.

And this at least has no dyes Movilnet (CANTV mobile leg) exporpiación arising from a network and are now in decline due to political intervention in a competitive market such as Venezuela.

With what, in a sense I understand the logic of the ad (in years failed a trusted partner), I understand the participation of cooperatives (although there was already a working and did not help neither saw this in the ad) and, as always happens, do not understand the ways that even makes operators can neither say unofficially because no resolution was not even a call.