Subtel opens bidding for sound broadcasting concessions for the third four-month period

The Undersecretariat of Telecommunications, dependent on the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications, has called for a public tender to apply for sound broadcasting concessions corresponding to the third four-month period of 2026. The notice was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile No. 44,551, on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, in section IV of Tenders, Contests, Summons, and Loss of Documents, with the official reference CVE 2868332.

The call is based on Article 13A of the General Telecommunications Law No. 18,168 of 1982 and includes both new applications and renewal applications, in the modalities of Amplitude Modulation (AM), Frequency Modulation (FM), and Community Citizen Broadcasting.

Communes and frequencies called

The tender covers localities and communes broken down by region, from Arica and Parinacota to Magallanes and the Chilean Antarctic. Among the new applications, the following stand out:

• FM: Antofagasta, Mejillones, Taltal, Copiapó, Vallenar, Casablanca, Alhué, Pichilemu, Curicó, Chillán-Chillán Viejo, Chaitén, Osorno, Puerto Montt, Cochrane, Puerto Aysén, Puerto Natales, and Villa Las Estrellas Antártica, among others.
• AM: La Tirana (Tarapacá) and Curicó (Maule).
• Community Citizen: Pozo Almonte, Caldera, Combarbalá, Casablanca, Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Estación Central, Puente Alto, Talcahuano, Valdivia, Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas, and Natales, among others.

The renewal modality includes, for example, Arica, Antofagasta, Tocopilla, Copiapó-Paipote-Tierra Amarilla, Los Vilos, La Ligua, San Felipe, Constitución, Retiro, Chillán, San Carlos, Angol, Pucón, Castro, Puerto Montt, and Quellón.

Available expired frequencies

According to paragraph 2 of Article 13 of Law No. 18,168 of 1982, concessions that expired or were extinguished during the period, in the frequency modulation and community citizen broadcasting modalities, are available in this tender. These frequencies appear marked with an asterisk (*) in the notice, as in the cases of Baños Morales, El Volcán, San Gabriel, Victoria, Reducción El Peral, Talcahuano, Panguipulli, Punta Arenas, and numerous communes of the Metropolitan Region.

Deadlines and procedure

The process includes a calendar defined by the Undersecretariat:

• Contest exclusion: localities without available frequencies will be excluded via a resolution to be published in the Official Gazette on October 15, 2026.
• Withdrawal of bidding terms: available for download at www.subtel.gob.cl starting October 30, 2026.
• Inquiries regarding the terms: from October 30 to November 6, 2026, in writing, at the Undersecretariat’s Filing Office (Amunátegui No. 139, Santiago), the Virtual Filing Office, or via email at consultasbasesRD@subtel.gob.cl.
• Response to inquiries: the Undersecretariat will publish a single official document of specifications and clarifications on November 16, 2026, which will become an integral part of the bidding terms.

The number of frequencies per locality or commune, the maximum transmission power, and other technical characteristics will be specified in the general bidding terms. The notice is signed by Steven Andrés Wilson Pavez, Acting Head of the Concessions Division, and the director of the Official Gazette is Giovanni Calderón Bassi.

Relevance for applicants

This call opens a concrete window for local stations, community radios, and regional operators seeking to regularize or expand their coverage, including the possibility of accessing frequencies that had expired. Interested parties must stay alert to the exclusion and withdrawal deadlines, as the process is resolved according to a closed calendar extending between October and November 2026.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,551, September 15, 2026, Section IV (Tenders, Contests, Summons, and Loss of Documents), pp. 1-3 (official reference: CVE 2868332).