To Increase Competition, Panama Opens the Bidding Process for a Third Mobile Phone Operator
Panama officially opened an international public tender on Tuesday to award the Personal Communications Service concession to a third mobile phone operator, the National Authority of Public Services (ASEP) reported. They claim the announcement comes at a strategic moment, dismissing the idea that the local market is saturated, despite the 5 million active mobile lines. The process seeks to shake up the Panamanian cell phone market in a market with more than 5 million active lines and high portability. According to ASEP, the intention is to boost tariffs for users and accelerate the country’s digital transformation through the definitive deployment of next-generation networks.
This 20-year concession aims to break the current duopoly held by Tigo and Cable & Wireless, targeting lower prices and improved service quality following Digicel’s market exit. The bidding and operational rollout process includes specific, fast-approaching milestones:
- The Prequalification Phase: Currently open, this stage requires interested companies to demonstrate at least five years of global operational experience and a minimum of 500,000 active users. Applications are due by August 11, 2026.
- The Final Bidding Phase: Only companies that successfully pass prequalification will advance to the final public tender, which is scheduled for late December 2026.
- Projected Launch: The winning network operator is expected to officially launch services and begin operating in the third quarter of 2027.
The concession package includes access to 40 MHz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band, establishing the infrastructure needed to support future 5G technologies. ASEP has set up a Dedicated Third Operator Portal to provide global investors and telecommunications companies with full transparency into market data and legal requirements.
