The lack of a 5G spectrum tender and the discussion on prices, rules and investment incentives place 2026 as a turning point for mobile connectivity in Mexico, according to sector analysts, who warn that without regulatory certainty and deployment conditions the country will continue to lag behind the demands of industry, government and consumers.
The new regulator, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (CRT), approved its Annual Program for the Use and Exploitation of Frequency Bands (PABF) 2026, which outlines strategic bands such as 600 MHz to expand 5G coverage and capabilities, in addition to high frequencies (10 GHz and 37 GHz) aimed at fixed wireless internet services.
However, the specialists consulted emphasize that the PABF, by itself, does not resolve the main bottleneck: a 5G auction with competitive conditions, realistic prices and rules that make deployment viable.
Read: Carlos Slim’s América Móvil will continue to promote the expansion of its 5G network during 2025
The last tender of the then Federal Institute of Telecommunications (IFT) – which sought to assign spectrum associated with 5G – was canceled in 2025, which kept the process on pause and without a clear reactivation date, amid institutional changes in the sector.
5G spectrum, investment and technological gap in the face of nearshoring
Ernesto Piedras, director of The Competitive Intelligence Unit (The CIU), warned that the start of 2026 combines “high expectations” with “regulatory uncertainty,” and that the CRT must prove technical and regulatory capacity to “implement structural actions with tangible results, beyond a cosmetic change of the regulator.”
In its diagnosis, the central challenge is to avoid a failed spectrum allocation process if the conditions do not adjust to the reality of the market.
Jorge Bravo, president of the Mexican Association for the Right to Information (Amedi), agreed that the country is late to the 5G technological window, while seeking to further industrialize the country, in order to take advantage of the still open window for company relocation or ‘nearshoring’.
“Mexico has not yet held a tender for 5G spectrum,” he said, and asked to observe the price of the spectrum because the new generations “require a lot of investments.”
In this logic, he emphasized that the return on investment no longer depends solely on the consumer.
“5G is not for the end user, it is for industries, it is for factories, it is for all these verticals,” he said, noting the relevance for advanced manufacturing, automation and critical services.
Both analysts converge on one point: without clear rules and stable signals of regulatory policy, investment slows down and the gap widens.
Bravo summarized that the most important thing is that the new regulators and authorities allow and incentivize investment in telecommunications infrastructure.
Piedras proposed that the CRT should open itself to “deep feedback” from the sector, academia and civil society, and guide its decisions to effective competition, investment and user rights, so as not to lose “a historic opportunity to modernize its digital infrastructure.”
Registration of mobile lines and operating costs
Added to the 5G agenda is the debate over the mandatory registration of mobile lines, whose implementation began on January 9 and contemplates a maximum period until June 30.
The magnitude of the challenge is illustrated in the estimated universe of around 160 million mobile lines, which would imply validating up to close to one million daily registrations to meet the schedule.
Piedras questioned the proportionality of the measure, saying, “it is a measure without a solid public policy justification that is more of an occurrence, no matter how well-intentioned,” warning that it could raise barriers to the right to connectivity and transfer operational burdens and costs to operators.
With information from EFE
Get inspired, discover and share. Follow us and find what you are looking for on our Instagram!
