The Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel) today announced the official launch of the 5G service in the Dominican Republic, the third country in Latin America and the first in the Caribbean to have this technology.
The president of Indotel, Nelson Arroyo, said that the achievement that will impact the Dominican nation began to become a tangible reality when, with firm decision, President Luis Abinader announced the unpostponable public bidding of the radio electric spectrum band, with a view to allocate it for the use of the 5G network.
The first stage of the 5G Mobile Network, which includes coverage in 29 sectors of the National District, was presented by the telecommunications company Claro, during a visit to the National Palace where Rogelio Viesca, president of Claro and Carlos Cueto, general director and CEO, to President Abinader, the president of Indotel, Nelson Arroyo, the executive director Julissa Cruz.
The company executives offered the president the technical details of the scope and coverage of the service, as well as the ambitious expansion plan to be implemented in the coming months.
“With this infrastructure already available in the National District, we are ushering in a new era of digital transformation in the country and enabling fifth-generation mobile connectivity that will allow the current government’s 2030 digital agenda to materialize, by serving as a platform to develop a digital society that drives creativity and innovation, improving the quality of life of Dominicans,” said Viesca.
During the activity, Claro CEO, Carlos Cueto, highlighted that plans and equipment are already available that will allow customers to enjoy Claro’s 5G coverage in this first phase of deployment, which will continue to expand rapidly and within a few months will cover Greater Santo Domingo, Santiago, La Romana and other major cities in the country.
Arroyo, while pondering the impact of this measure for the development of the country, recalled that President Abinader, as soon as he became President in October last year, declared by decree “of high national interest” the essential right of universal access to the latest generation broadband Internet and the productive use of information and communication technologies (ICT).
In February of this year, the head of state formally initiated the international public bidding for the spectrum bands that would be used for the operation of the 5G system in our country, which was carried out through the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel).
The tender assigned up to 100 MegaHertz continuous in middle bands, the amount of spectrum recommended by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to achieve the maximum potential of the 5G network at the time.
Arroyo then highlighted the implementation of the 5G network as one of the tangible achievements of this administration and that places us as a country, a step ahead in opportunities and access to technology. Likewise, Abinader considered that the fifth generation of mobile networks will have an impact on all sectors of the population and will make our nation more competitive, more dynamic and better connected.
He explained that the process began with a rigorous schedule that started with the call for bids and publication of the bidding documents on February 9, 2021, culminating with the awarding of the spectrum to Claro and Altice, the only companies that submitted bids during the bidding process.
