The CRT sets the framework for bidding on radio spectrum and orbital resources

The Plenary of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (CRT) approved and issued the Provisions establishing the General Framework for the development of Public Bidding procedures to grant concessions for the use, utilization, and exploitation of Radio Spectrum Frequency Bands for commercial use, as well as for the concession of the occupation and exploitation of Orbital Resources for commercial use. The agreement, identified as P/CRT/EXT/01102026/144, was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) on Monday, October 5, 2026, in publication 271/2026, and entered into force on the following business day. With this, the CRT defines the playing field for the upcoming biddings for spectrum and orbital resources for commercial use.

The CRT is a decentralized administrative body of the Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency, with technical, operational, and management independence. The Framework Provisions are issued based on article 28, sixteenth and nineteenth paragraphs, of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States, and articles 57 and 71 of the Law on Telecommunications and Broadcasting, published in the DOF on July 16, 2025, which mandate that concessions for spectrum and orbital resources for commercial use be granted through public bidding, subject to the payment of a consideration.

The project was submitted for public consultation from June 18 to July 15, 2026, a period during which 13 contributions were received; the report of considerations was published on July 27, 2026. The agreement was unanimously approved at the Twenty-Ninth Extraordinary Session of the Plenary, held on October 1, 2026, with the votes of Commissioner President Norma Solano Rodríguez and commissioners Ledénika Mackensie Méndez González, María de las Mercedes Olivares Tresgallo, Adán Salazar Garibay, and Tania Villa Trápala.

Maximum Concurrence and Prevention of Concentration

Article 2 of the Framework Provisions establishes the principles that will govern its application and the design of the Bidding Rules: administrative simplification, transparency, maximum concurrence, prevention of concentration phenomena that contradict the public interest, effective competition, efficient use and protection of the radio spectrum and orbital resources, promotion of investment, innovation, technological neutrality, and better conditions for end users and audiences.

Title Three obligates Participants to adhere to the Spectrum Accumulation Limits determined by the National Antimonopoly Commission (CNA) and established in the Bases, applicable to each interested party in its dimension as an Economic Interest Group. It is strictly prohibited to enter into contracts, agreements, arrangements, or information exchanges between competitors to coordinate bids or abstain from participating in the tender; absolute monopolistic practices shall be null and void by operation of law.

From the expression of interest to the award act

• The Call is published in the DOF and the Bases on the same day on the CRT portal and the Platform; the tender begins on the following business day.
• The Expression of Interest is submitted via Appendix D1, and each Economic Interest Group may only register one per tender.
• The Capacity Report is prepared by the General Directorate of Spectrum Tenders (DGLE); the CNA issues an opinion on economic competition, and the Plenary grants the Certificate of Participation.
• The Bid Submission Procedure (PPO) defines the winners, and its results are published no later than the business day following its conclusion.
• The Plenary issues the Award Act, and the payment of the consideration is made in a single installment in favor of the Treasury of the Federation within 40 business days.
• The Earnest Money Guarantee backs the participation, and its execution is 100% in case of disqualification.

Platform, deadlines, and sanctions

On October 5, agreement P/CRT/EXT/01102026/143 was published, which issues the Guidelines for the use of the Dynamic Spectrum Tender Platform, consisting of 57 articles. The Platform operates with Advanced Electronic Signature, Unique Folio, and Event Log, and the User Manual must be published within 15 business days following its entry into force. Technical failures automatically suspend deadlines without the need for a prior agreement.

Only natural or legal persons of Mexican nationality may receive concession titles, although foreign investment may participate in consortia in accordance with the Foreign Investment Law. The Provisions provide grounds for loss of Interested Party status and disqualification, and the CRT will notify the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic upon detecting forged documents. Only an indirect amparo trial is applicable against resolutions that terminate participation.

With these rules, the CRT standardizes and makes the tender process for spectrum and orbital resources predictable, providing certainty to telecommunications and satellite operators regarding requirements, deadlines, and competition criteria before the next tenders are called.

Source: Official Gazette of the Federation, publication 271/2026, Monday, October 5, 2026, First Section (Executive Branch), pp. 200-226 (official reference: Agreement P/CRT/EXT/01102026/144).