Chile's Smartom Wins Telefonica Moviles Spectrum Auction

SANTIAGO -(Dow Jones)- Chilean mobile telecommunications provider Smartcom won the auction of mobile spectrum offered by the Chilean unit of mobile telephony company Telefonica Moviles, a Moviles Chile spokesman said Thursday.

Smartcom, a unit of Mexican wireless giant America Moviles, won the bandwidth auction with an undisclosed bid of at least $30 million, the spokesman said.

Moviles had sought a minimum $30 million for the bandwidth.

The auction was originally scheduled earlier in the month. However, it was suspended due to a complaint by local rival Empresa Nacional de Telecomunicaciones, which accused Moviles of not complying with the deadlines established for the sale of 25 megahertz in the 800 MHz band.

Moviles had until July to sell bandwidth spectrum to comply with the court's approval of the local part of its takeover of BellSouth Corp.'s Latin American operations.

By taking over BellSouth, Moviles jumped into first place in the Chilean market. It had to sell the bandwidth, equivalent to 30% of its participation in the spectrum.

Company Web site: http://www.movistar.cl

-By Patricia San Juan, Dow Jones Newswires; 56-2-460 8546; patty.sanjuan@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires "

Posted to the site on 21st April 2006