Vietnamese-backed cellco Bitel has announced plans to invest USD110 million over the next three years to implement 2600MHz band spectrum on its network, Gestion reports.
The cellco was awarded temporary rights to use the frequencies in 183 provinces (excluding Lima) by the Ministry of Transport and Communications (Ministerio de Transportes y Comunicaciones, MTC) in December 2017, as part of a reorganisation of the band ahead of a planned auction of the airwaves in 2019 or 2020. Bitel has been working on rolling out the new spectrum since the start of 2018 and has already begun using the airwaves in six provinces, namely: Canchis (Cusco), Ambo (Huanuco), Jauja (Junin), Tahuamanu (Madre de Dios), Paita (Piura) and Huancabamba (Piura). Bitel aims to deploy 2600MHz services in all 183 of its licensed areas by the end of the year. Commenting on the move, Bitel CEO Phan Hoang Viet, was quoted as saying: ‘Having access to high-speed internet drives the economic, educational, personal and collective development of all Peruvians, in line with the mission pursued by the State through the MTC.’
