AT&T has formally urged Mexican authorities to modify the terms of the country's planned auction of spectrum for industrial 5G networks, arguing that current conditions could limit participation and slow deployment of private wireless infrastructure.

The US-headquartered operator, which runs the second-largest mobile business in Mexico behind América Móvil's Telcel, submitted its position to Mexican regulators as the government prepares to tender spectrum reserved for private, industrial-grade 5G use. The auction forms part of a broader push by Mexico's Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) to open up mid-band and other frequencies to enterprises such as factories, ports, logistics operators and utilities that want to run their own networks rather than buy services from national carriers.

AT&T's intervention signals that incumbent operators see commercial stakes in how Mexico draws the rules for industrial 5G. Operators have argued in other markets that reserving spectrum exclusively for private networks can strand frequencies that carriers could deploy more efficiently at national scale, while industry groups counter that dedicated allocations give enterprises the control and predictability they need for mission-critical applications.

The specifics of AT&T's requested changes were not detailed in the initial report of its filing, but the operator's engagement in the process is significant. AT&T has invested heavily in Mexico since acquiring local carriers Iusacell and Nextel in 2015, and its Mexican unit has been rolling out 5G in major urban markets using spectrum it acquired in earlier auctions. How the IFT handles the industrial 5G tender could shape whether operators, neutral hosts or industrial users themselves take the lead in building private networks across Mexican industry.

Mexico's 5G market remains concentrated. América Móvil launched 5G nationally in 2022, and AT&T Mexico has followed with its own rollout in the largest cities. A dedicated industrial auction would mark a structural shift, carving out spectrum for non-traditional players in a market where mobile frequencies have historically gone to the two dominant operators.

The IFT has not yet announced a final date for the tender or confirmed which bands it will release for industrial use. Stakeholder consultations, in which AT&T is now participating, typically precede the publication of final auction rules, meaning operators and prospective industrial bidders may still influence the terms before bidding opens.