IFT will tender 234 frequencies for FM and AM broadcasting in Sonora

Redacción Opportimes 19 febrero, 2021

The Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) announced that it will tender for radio broadcasting frequencies in Sonora, Mexico.

Ultimately, the IFT hopes to deliver the concessions in 2022.

The purpose of this tender is to concession the use, exploitation and commercial exploitation of 234 frequencies in the segment from 88 to 106 MHz of the Modulated Frequency band (FM); as well as 85 frequencies in the segment from 535 to 1,605 kHz of the Amplitude Modulated (AM) band for the provision of the public sound broadcasting service in Mexico.

For this, the frequencies of the radioelectric spectrum determined for commercial use defined in the PABF for the years 2016 to 2019 and those frequencies that were not assigned in the IFT-4 Bid procedure will be considered.

During 2020, the Draft Schedule of Activities of the IFT-8 Tender was submitted to public consultation in order to obtain information that would allow the Institute to determine the appropriate time for the start of the same, considering that economic conditions might not be conducive to investment in broadcasting in the face of the pandemic caused by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19, for its acronym in English), which would translate into low participation in the Bidding procedure and consequently an inefficient allocation of spectrum.

IFT

In 2021, the call and the bidding conditions will be presented for the consideration of the Plenary of the Institute for approval; as well as the preparation of certificates of participation for delivery

The tender will make available to the interested parties the frequencies of the radioelectric spectrum destined to provide the Sonora broadcasting service.

With this, there will be a greater availability of this service in Mexico, fostering an increase in the options for access to content and favoring their diversity, while encouraging competition in the sector for the benefit of audiences and preventing the concentration of frequencies against the public interest.