Movistar deploys LTE network in Mexico

Spanish incumbent Telefónica has begun deploying LTE services in Mexico. The service will be available in October in three areas of the country: Ciudad de México; Jalisco and Nuevo León.

Telefónica also voiced its support for the deployment of LTE at 700MHz, after Mexico’s Federal Commission of Telecommunications (Cofetel) voted to adopt the Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT) band plan for the 700 MHz band for mobile services in September.

Miguel Calderón, vice president for Regulatory Telefonica Mexico said the Asia-Pacific standard and 700MHZ band is better for LTE services. “We are confident that with the decision taken by the Members of Cofetel, it will have the best economies of scale for LTE network deployment, a greater variety of terminal equipment and the best prices for the benefit of the end user,” he said.

Cofetel’s decision to use the APT band plan rather than the model adopted by the US is interesting given the political, diplomatic and trade relationships that exist between Mexico and the US — and also because of Mexico’s influence over the rest of Latin America.

The decision appears to be sound from a technical perspective, as the ATP Plan could accommodate more operators than would be possible under the US model.

From a commercial perspective the decision will see Mexico aligned with a community that supports a customer base measured in the billions, rather than the hundreds of millions. The ecosystem that evolves to serve a market on that scale will offer far more attractive economies than one restricted to the population of the US.

Rival Telcel will also soon be deploying its LTE network, for which it is currently in the testing phase.