Panama's ASEP reports no bidders for third mobile operator tender

The National Public Services Authority (ASEP) of Panama reported that no companies submitted proposals during the pre-qualification stage for a public tender aimed at introducing a third mobile telephony operator to the country.

Alkin Saucedo, ASEP's national director of telecommunications, confirmed that no documents were received during the public reception act. The government is currently reviewing the process terms to determine whether to issue a second call for pre-qualification to achieve the goal of diversifying the market, which currently consists of only two operators.

The tender, identified as Public Tender No. 01-2026-Telco, seeks to grant a 20-year concession for Personal Communications Service No. 106. The project is intended to meet growing data consumption demands and provide access to new-generation mobile services, including the potential for 5G Stand Alone (SA) architecture. Panama currently maintains a mobile penetration rate exceeding 100%, with approximately 96% of the population covered by mobile services.