As important as spectrum harmonization, it is making tenders with the bands already clean; such was the recommendation made by Convergencia Research during its participation in the forum organized by 5G Americas on the last day of Futurecom 2016, which ended yesterday in Sao Paulo. Asked about the possible lack of harmonization of spectrum bands in Latin America, Mariana Rodríguez Zani, Convergencialatina and Convergencia Research director, said the region progressed enough in that area as to encourage scales in the ecosystem development.

Rodriguez Zani highlighted, as an example, the 700 MHz band, the "gold band" for LTE massive deployment. A few years ago, as from Mexico strong political boost, most Latin American countries joined the band channeling under the APT standard. And although not all stakeholders have tendered it yet because they depend on the analog switchover, many of them have changed the attribution of this segment to assign it to IMT technology.

Convergencia Research director considered that, at this stage of the discussions, tendering bands is as important as having a "clean" spectrum,  so as not to repeat what happens in several countries. She cited the cases of Argentina and Brazil, where the 700 MHz band was tendered and companies paid for the frequencies, but they still do not provide services because bands are not available.

In that sense, Convergencia Research warned of the trap wherein the industry falls: hastening the tender because supposedly it ensures that there would be scale and, therefore, investment in ecosystem development will be generated. But spectrum payment in advance of the possibility of deployment and use, results in not generating either the economic returns companies need to recover the investment or the social benefits expected from the adoption of mobile broadband.

With the change of the economic situation, which places the region in a context of lower growth, Rodríguez Zani considered that reducing the time gap since the moment payment for spectrum is made and the time it starts being used.