en.Wedoany.com Reported - Recently, Peru's Ministry of Transport and Communications signed network construction commitments with four mobile operators to deploy 4G communication infrastructure in 412 rural settlements across 22 regions nationwide. The total project investment exceeds 182 million Peruvian soles, approximately US$53 million, with plans to complete construction and launch services by June 2027, when over 66,000 residents will gain access to 4G voice and mobile data connectivity for the first time.
Participating companies include Peru's Claro (América Móvil Perú), Peru's Entel (a subsidiary of Chile's Entel), Peru's Integratel, and Peru's Bitel (a subsidiary of Vietnam's Viettel). Each operator selects project sites based on its own network coverage and construction conditions, subsequently proceeding with site preparation, wireless communication equipment installation, transmission link access, system testing, and network activation. The authorities have not yet disclosed the specific number of settlements, base station scale, or equipment suppliers for each operator.
This project is implemented through the "coverage-for-spectrum-fee" mechanism. Under Peru's current policy, mobile operators can convert up to 60% of their radio spectrum usage fees directly into investments for rural mobile network construction. Portions of the fees originally payable are thus channeled into base stations, transmission, and related communication facility construction, enabling network expansion in remote areas to proceed in conjunction with operators' existing spectrum obligations.
The 412 settlements previously lacked 4G mobile services, with some areas affected by factors such as sparse population, complex geographical conditions, and long commercial return cycles, making it difficult for operators to achieve rapid coverage through conventional market investments. After the new facilities become operational, local mobile networks will transition from basic voice or unstable signal states to a 4G access environment capable of simultaneously supporting high-speed data, mobile payments, remote education, and digital public services.
Peru's Claro has previously expanded mobile communication sites locally through similar mechanisms. From 2018 to 2025, the company advanced network coverage in over 2,400 settlements in Peru, deploying a total of 388 wireless communication base stations serving approximately 493,000 people. This round of projects will be implemented in parallel with construction tasks by three other Peruvian operators, further extending 4G networks beyond existing coverage edges.
Peru's Ministry of Transport and Communications disclosed that the "coverage-for-spectrum-fee" mechanism has previously helped 1,531 rural settlements gain first-time access to 4G networks, benefiting over 296,000 people. With the inclusion of 412 sites in this round of construction, the number of rural settlements covered by this mechanism will expand to over 1,900, and Peru's mobile communication infrastructure construction will gradually shift from individual projects to long-term coverage initiatives implemented in batches by multiple operators.
