Paraguay: Major player quits 4G race

Paraguay’s Telecommunications regulators, CONATEL, has confirmed that the country’s second largest telephone operator, Personal, will not be joining the auctions for a slot in the 4G spectrum, which were launched last Wednesday.

The regulator’s president, Teresita Palacios, mentioned that Personal had settled a debt of over $1 million dollars owed for the licensing for its mobile network operations. The telephone operator had been battling authorities to avoid payment for over three years. However, only one month before the start of the 4G auctions, the company had decided to settle all obligations.

Personal currently holds the same amount of the airwaves as Tigo, it’s main rival. Both companies currently control 27% of the market respectively. However, Personal has struggled in recent years, unable to keep up with its rival’s explosive growth both in terms of revenue and number of users. The decision not to enter the bid means that Personal’s subscribes will not be receiving 4G coverage until the next round of auctions, covering the 700 Mhz spectrum, or in case long-standing rumours of a possible buyout of Personal by another rival are confirmed.

Source: La Nación

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