The governments of Mexico and Colombia were key figures at the 2016 Ministerial Programme after winning the Government Excellence Award (Mexico) and the Spectrum for Mobile Broadband Award (Colombia) made at Mobile World Summit, the highest-level meeting held during Mobile World Congress Barcelona.
The awards recognise “the global leadership in the establishment of regulatory policies for telecommunications based on clear principles that encourage long term investment and provide a regulatory environment of transparency and fair competition that maximises the socioeconomic value of the sector”. The awards were given to the governments of Mexico and Colombia on Monday 22 February by the GSMA’s new Director General, Mats Granryd.
Government Leadership Award – Federal Government of the United Mexican States
The 2016 Government Leadership Award recognises the importance of the Telecommunications Reform carried out by the Federal Government of the United Mexican States leading to significant sector investment in the country’s economy, increased competition in the market, spectrum licensing and faster adoption of 4G.
The Government of Mexico demonstrated good practices in transparency, public consultation and regulatory independence, with the creation of a new independent regulator (FTI) and specialised law courts to resolve disputes on telecommunications issues. Mexico has also excelled in spectrum management: it was the first country in Latin America to auction the extended AWS band, and will boost mobile broadband speeds even further by licensing the 2.6GHz band later this year.
The award was received by Gerardo Ruiz Esparza, Mexico’s Secretary of Communications and Transport, who highlighted how the telecommunications sector has boosted the growth of the country, as it has grown at four times the rate of the economy. The Mexican delegation at MWC 2016 also included Gabriel Contreras Saldivar, President of FTI, and Mónica Aspe Bernal, Mexico’s Under Secretary of Communications.
Spectrum for Mobile Broadband Award – Government of the Republic of Colombia
The Spectrum for Mobile Broadband Award 2016 was given to the Government of Colombia in recognition of its vital role in making sufficient mobile spectrum available, in a transparent manner, to the benefit of its people and the economy. This was made possible through Colombia’s national and international leadership during negotiations at WRC-15 in November.
By leading the use of spectrum from the digital dividend, Colombia is greatly expanding LTE services. At the same time, by supporting the 2.6GHz and 3.3-3.7GHz bands, Colombia will be well positioned to sustain growth and meet the future demand for faster mobile services.
Martha Suárez, Director of the Colombian National Spectrum Agency (NSA), was at the 2016 Ministerial Programme to receive the award. “The task that the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications has been working on proactively with the NSA is aimed at ensuring our country is ready for the new scenarios brought by the digital revolution. Proper spectrum management will enable us to respond to a higher demand for connectivity and services, which in turn will result in benefits for our people. This recognition confirms we are performing this task the way it should be done”, said David Luna Sánchez, Minister of Information Technologies and Communications, commenting from Colombia on the award made in Barcelona.