GSMA WELCOMES ARGENTINE GOVERNMENT S DECISION TO LICENSE 0MHZ OF SPECTRUM FOR 4G SERVICES

Multiband Auction Will Allow Mobile Operators to Unleash Investments Necessary to Deploy 4G Networks and Improve Quality of Existing 2G and 3G Services

Buenos Aires: The GSMA welcomes the Argentine Government's decision to license the AWS (Advanced Wireless Services 1700-2100MHz) and 700MHz spectrum bands for deploying 4G mobile services in the country. The move was announced on 13 May by Axel Kicillof, Argentina's Minister of Economy and Finance; Julio De Vido, Minister of Federal Planning, Public Investments and Services; and Norberto Berner, Secretary of Communications. As well as 120MHz in the AWS band and 90MHz in the 700MHz band under the APT band plan for 4G, the government also announced the licensing of 7.5MHz in the 850MHz band and 30MHz in the 1900MHz band for 2G and 3G, resulting in a total of nearly 250MHz of spectrum to support the expansion of mobile services in Argentina.

With more than 63 million mobile connections and almost 30 million unique subscribers, Argentina is the third largest market in Latin America and has grown 300 per cent in the last 10 years, said Tom Phillips, Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA. This positive decision by the Argentine Government will enable the mobile industry to continue to increase the scope and scale of the mobile services it offers to Argentina's citizens.

Latin America is on the cusp of a new wave of mobile applications and services, spurred by the growing adoption of smartphones and access to 4G networks which offer higher data speeds. The GSMA recently released The Mobile Economy Latin America 2013' report1, which predicted that, for the region as a whole, the total number of 4G connections will reach 77 million by the end of 2017, accounting for 10 per cent of the total connections in the region by that date.

Argentina has been in need of new spectrum for mobile broadband as the last auction took place 15 years ago in 1999. The licensing of new spectrum will bring significant investment, new infrastructure, innovation and development, impacting positively on the Argentine economy. It will also stimulate local value generation, increasing job opportunities and demand for mobile goods and services.

Phillips continued: "We look forward to working with the Argentine Government to prioritise a timetable for the auction of the new spectrum. On a related point, the GSMA also expressed the desire that the Government work more closely with industry to eliminate potential localised barriers to the deployment of antennas necessary to support the timely roll-out of 4G broadband services to consumers across the country.

The GSMA will host a three-day Plenary in Montevideo, Uruguay on 27-29 May 2014, bringing together key government and mobile industry representatives from across Latin America to discuss opportunities and challenges facing the industry, including Spectrum and Infrastructure Development. For further information on the Plenary please go to: http://www.gsma.com/latinamerica/plenary-meeting41.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors

1 http://www.gsmamobileeconomylatinamerica.com/

Details of the decision by the Argentine Government can be found here: http://www.boletinoficial.gov.ar/Inicio/Index.castle?s=01&idAviso=4572705&IdRubro=24&f=20140514

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world's mobile operators with 250 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organisations in industry sectors such as financial services, healthcare, media, transport and utilities. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Expo.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.

Media Contacts

For the GSMA

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taticantoni@pimenta.com

GSMA Press Office

pressoffice@gsma.com

LINK:	http://www.gsma.com/newsroom/gsma-welcomes-argentine/...
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