The absence of a 5G spectrum auction and ongoing disputes over prices, rules and investment incentives have positioned 2026 as a defining year for mobile connectivity in Mexico, according to industry analysts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They warn that without regulatory certainty and favorable deployment conditions, the country will continue to lag behind the needs of industry, government and consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new Telecommunications Regulatory Commission approved its 2026 Annual Program for the Use and Exploitation of Frequency Bands, which identifies strategic spectrum such as 600 MHz to expand 5G coverage and capacity, as well as high frequency bands at 10 GHz and 37 GHz aimed at fixed wireless internet services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, specialists emphasize that the program alone does not resolve the main bottleneck: the lack of a 5G auction with competitive conditions, realistic pricing and clear rules that make network deployment viable. The last auction attempt by the former Federal Telecommunications Institute was cancelled in 2025, leaving the process stalled and without a clear reactivation timeline amid institutional changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ernesto Piedras, Director of The Competitive Intelligence Unit, said the start of 2026 combines high expectations with regulatory uncertainty and warned that the new regulator must demonstrate real technical and regulatory capacity beyond a cosmetic institutional shift. He argued that the central challenge is avoiding a failed spectrum allocation process disconnected from market realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jorge Bravo, president of the Mexican Association for the Right to Information, agreed that Mexico is late to the 5G technological cycle just as it seeks to benefit from nearshoring. He stressed that spectrum prices must reflect the heavy investment required and noted that returns increasingly depend on industrial, enterprise and vertical applications rather than consumers alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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