Iusacell, Mexico's third largest wireless operator, has become the latest service provider to come to the bidding table to purchase fiber optic lines being sold by the Mexican government.
Of course, Iusacell will have to square off against the gang of three consortium that consists of Grupo Televisa SA, Telefonica and Megacable Holdings, which launched a joint bid for the fiber assets last month. Other than Iusacell and the consortium, no other service providers have put in a bid for the fiber auction.
Whoever does win the auction will have a new option to route long-distance traffic around Carlos Slim's Telmex landline monopoly. Currently, the lines up for auction are owned by state-run power company Comision Federal de Electricidad. The Mexican government previously said it would announce winners on June 9, while commercial network operations would begin 18 months after the auction closes.
For more:
- Bloomberg has this article
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