ICT regulatory watch: Sandbox, license extensions, spectrum monitoring and more

Regulatory sandbox

Peru’s communications and transport ministry (MTC) approved a regulatory sandbox regulation to boost innovation in telecommunications. 

The regulatory flexibility and exemptions will be granted for projects carried out in a controlled experiment or development area and for up to 24 months. 

The projects will be selected through a call for applications. The general directorate of communications policies and regulations of the MTC will publish at least one annual call for proposals, according to the text of the regulation. 

The regulation also introduces a special regime for the payment of the fee for commercial use of the services by telecommunications concessionaires. Mobile service operators may allocate an amount equivalent to a maximum of 60% of the fee paid two years ago to the installation of new cellular base stations with 4G technology or to the modernization of those currently operating with 2G technology.

Telecom complaints down 

Complaints about telecom companies filed by Peruvian users fell 37.8% in 2024. The number of complaints totaled 1.13mn, the lowest figure since 2016, according to regulator Osiptel. 

Claro was the operator that saw the biggest fall in complaints at 53.2%. Meanwhile, complaints about Movistar and WIN dropped 41.6% and 27.8%, respectively. However, complaints about WOW rose 28.8% and those about Bitel and Entel increased 17.5% and 0.84%, respectively.

More than 60% of complaints were about mobile service problems while more than 44% were due to billing and collection issues. 

License renewal 

Costa Rican private operators Claro and Liberty are in the processing of extending their telecommunications licenses, awarded in the 2010 spectrum auction and to due to expire in mid-2026. 

Claro’s request for the maximum 10-year extension was approved and the telecommunications undersecretary is working on the documents to formalize the decision, local newspaper CRHoy published. 

In the case of Liberty, the document is waiting for President Rodrigo Chaves’ signature. 

Spectrum monitoring

Argentine regulator Enacom acquired new equipment for managing and controlling radio spectrum, including portable radio direction finders, which measure radio signals and locate their origin in real time. 

Unlike previous systems, which date back to 1997, the new direction finders can be easily transported in a van and can even be hand-held, facilitating the detection of difficult-to-find signals in complex urban environments or hard-to-reach areas.

Smart transport systems 

Colombian spectrum agency ANE conducted a study on radio spectrum for intelligent transportation systems (ITS). 

The study concluded that adequate technical conditions currently exist for the implementation of ITS in the country, both through freely available short-range radio communication technologies and mobile communications.

The document is open to comment until April 30. More information can be found at this link.

Collaboration

Siemens and Mexico’s Coahuila state signed a collaboration agreement to develop initiatives that drive regional economic development through clean technologies and state of-the-art systems, as well as sustainable operating practices.  

The agreement will also include infrastructure decarbonization through the implementation of smart technologies such as building management software, with a special emphasis on energy management through microgrids, air quality, water use and security, among others.