Liberating the radio spectrum in Guatemala

Abstract

Before the enactment of the 1996 General Telecommunications Law in Guatemala the radio waves were owned and licensed by the state following the model of the US Federal Communications Commission. The radio spectrum license was a revocable authorization for the licensee to use a given frequency band in a given manner. In 1996, however, a sweeping reform privatized, in essence, the Guatemalan radio spectrum. Owners of radio spectrum are allowed to lease, sell, subdivide or consolidate their titles. The results of the reform have been strongly positive as can be shown by comparing the growth of the mobile sector in Guatemala with Latin America.Guatemala Developing countries Spectrum Regulation