Panama Begins 5G Tests using Huawei

The first tests of the 5G network began this week after the National Authority of Public Services (ASEP) loaned a part of the spectrum of the 3.5 GHz band to the company Más Móvil of Cable & Wireless Panamá to run this new technology which increases the connection speed.  The operator TIGO would also be granted the same, if it requires it for the same purpose.  The ASEP administrator specified that the commercial and official deployment of the 5G network is conditional on the regulatory body first carrying out a public consultation and then officially designating the spectrum as a concession to each telephone and internet operator in the country.  The tests of the 5G network by Más Móvil will be for a period of two to three months with a pilot plan for some corporate users in the commercial, tourism and port sectors.  He also indicated that 5G infrastructure will be available in the Electoral Court on Election Day May 5 so that the media can use that network to transmit data and audiovisual information at a higher speed. 

The use of 5G infrastructure has been a controversial issue because the United States imposed restrictions for the services and infrastructure and equipment of Huawei, one of the leaders in this network, to operate in that market.  The United States claimed that the Chinese company Huawei was spying on the US with their technology and shut down sales of Huawei products in the States.  In Central America, Costa Rica closed its doors to Huawei, in Chile they did allow Huawei to participate and in Panama they are more open to the operation of the Chinese company.  A spokesman stated that “Huawei is King, it rocks”.  In fact, the infrastructure partly used by Más Móvil in the test they carried out at the MoveOn event at the Megapolis Convention Center was operated with Huawei technology.  The general manager of Más Móvil specified that they have an offer from three companies: Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia.  In practice, two different infrastructures can be used depending on the service and sector and even by area, but there is still nothing definitive.  “Currently we are only testing. “We are studying the proposals of the three suppliers for these 5G issues: Huawei, Nokia and Ericsson,” Lorenzo confirmed.