The Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel) has awarded radio spectrum frequency blocks to Viettel and Claro Dominicana following a public tender process. The Dominican Spectrum Tender resulted in a combined 260MHz being allocated to the two operators, creating scope for future network expansion and investment in the country’s telecom infrastructure.
Indotel’s Board of Directors approved the award unanimously after reviewing a report prepared by an evaluation committee. Viettel and Claro Dominicana were the only companies that passed the legal, technical and economic qualification stages of the Dominican Spectrum Tender.
Dominican Spectrum Tender Awards 260MHz to Operators
Under the spectrum allocation, Viettel was awarded 240MHz while Claro Dominicana secured 20MHz. The tender, which was launched in February 2026, was designed to expand spectrum availability, encourage investment and strengthen the Dominican Republic’s telecommunications infrastructure.
Indotel also offered a 30MHz block in the AWS band (1700/2100MHz) as part of the process, but this received no bids and was declared unclaimed.
Viettel Secures 240MHz Across Three Bands
Viettel obtained the right to use 240MHz under a 20-year concession. The spectrum allocation is distributed across three bands: 40MHz in the 700MHz band, 100MHz in the 2.3GHz band and 100MHz in the 3.6GHz band.
As a new entrant in the Dominican Republic market, Viettel, which is part of a Vietnamese group, must establish a company in the country. This new entity will hold the licence for the 240MHz assigned through the Dominican Spectrum Tender.
Claro Dominicana, meanwhile, acquired 20MHz in the 700MHz band for the remaining period of its current concession, equivalent to 15 years. This additional spectrum allocation gives Claro further capacity in a band widely used for mobile broadband coverage.
The general tender specifications also include a provision that allows up to 30 per cent of payments to be made through the execution of Indotel development projects, linking telecom infrastructure investment directly to national connectivity goals.
Spectrum Allocation Opens Scope for Network Expansion
The outcome of the Dominican Spectrum Tender is significant for the country’s telecom sector. Viettel’s allocation across the 700MHz, 2.3GHz and 3.6GHz bands will support capacity for both 4G and 5G services once a network is established. The 700MHz band is particularly well suited for wide-area coverage, while the 2.3GHz and 3.6GHz bands offer additional capacity for higher-speed data services.
At present, the main mobile network operators in the Dominican Republic are Claro Dominicana, Altice and Viva. Claro holds the largest market share alongside the most extensive nationwide coverage. Viettel’s entry through this spectrum award introduces an additional operator to the market, which could support broader competition and further telecom infrastructure development over the coming years.
The completed spectrum allocation reflects Indotel’s efforts to open additional capacity for mobile operators and attract fresh investment into the Dominican Republic’s telecommunications sector.