Telefónica Chile adds two point-to-point radio links in Antofagasta

The Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications authorized Telefónica Chile S.A. to install, operate, and exploit two point-to-point radio links in the Antofagasta Region, through exempt decree No. 971, signed on August 28, 2026. The measure was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile No. 44,571, on Saturday, October 10, 2026, Section II, with official reference CVE 2883685. The authorization modifies the company’s Public Telephone Service concession and expands its infrastructure in the mining area of Calama.

Exempt decree No. 971 was issued by the Undersecretariat of Telecommunications and modifies the concession originally granted by supreme decree No. 202 of 1982, from the same ministry. The decision is based on Law No. 18,168, General Telecommunications Law of 1982, and decree law No. 1,762 of 1977, which created the Undersecretariat, in addition to supreme decree No. 103 of 2008, and resolution No. 36 of 2024, from the Comptroller General of the Republic regarding the exemption from the toma de razón (legal review) process.

The request was submitted by the company via Subtel entry No. 46,728, dated March 23, 2023, and recorded no oppositions during the publication of the abstract. The concessionaire is Telefónica Chile S.A., RUT 90.635.000-9, with address at Av. Providencia No. 111, commune of Providencia, Metropolitan Region of Santiago.

Two links in the mining environment of Calama

The decree authorizes two point-to-point radio links, with their respective stations and technical parameters:

• Link 1 (stage 1): station A at OC Calama, Tarapacá 2102, commune of Calama, support code 12412, at coordinates 22°27'24.7" S and 68°55'40.4" W, with a frequency of 15.005 MHz and a gain of 37.1 dBi.
• Link 1 (stage 1): station B at Mina Ministro Hales, site inside Minera Ministro Hales, 10 km north of Calama, code 36133, at 22°22'7.9" S and 68°55'1.7" W, with a frequency of 14.585 MHz and a gain of 37.1 dBi.
• Link 2 (stage 2): station A at Barrio Cívico - MHales, 11 km northeast of Calama, inside Minera Ministro Hales, code 36134, at 22°21'44.6" S and 68°53'55.2" W, with a frequency of 14.746 MHz and a gain of 37.1 dBi.
• Link 2 (stage 2): station B at Cerro Montecristo, 15 km northeast of Calama, code 10068, at 22°19'56.7" S and 68°59'27.4" W, with a frequency of 15.166 MHz and a gain of 37.1 dBi.
• Common parameters: emission type 28M0W7WWW, power of 0.126 W and V/H polarization, with coordinates referred to the WGS 84 datum.

Construction deadlines and entry into service

The maximum deadlines for both stages are counted from the date of publication of the decree in the Official Gazette:

• Start of works: 1 month.
• Completion of works: 23 months.
• Start of service: 24 months.

Obligations and conditions of the authorization

The decree also establishes the conditions that the concessionaire must meet:

• The basic technical project of the application is approved, the documentation of which is archived in the Undersecretariat of Telecommunications.
• It is the company’s obligation to know and comply with the legal, regulatory, and technical provisions applicable to telecommunications.
• The authorization is subject to the payment of fees for the use of the radio spectrum.
• The notification of the act will be sent from the email address partes@subtel.gob.cl.

The act bears the signature of the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Louis de Grange Concha, by order of the President of the Republic, and was transcribed by the Undersecretary of Telecommunications, Romina Garrido Iglesias.

The expansion is of direct interest to users and competitors in the sector, as it consolidates the presence of Telefónica Chile S.A. in an area of high mining activity and adds transmission capacity in a corridor where connectivity is a critical input for industrial operation. The decree also sets a demanding schedule: the company has 24 months from publication to put both links into service, the compliance of which is subject to supervision by the Undersecretariat of Telecommunications.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,571, October 10, 2026, Section II (Particular Norms), p. 1 (official reference: CVE 2883685).