(Telecompaper) The government of Argentina received offers of USD 2.23 billion in the tender for 4G spectrum. The offers exceed by 13.6 percent the base price of USD 1.96 billion. The country's telecoms ministry SeCom said that the 15-year licences will be awarded in November. The government offered 4G spectrum in both 700MHz and AWS (1.7-2.1GHz) bands. The government also offered additional 3G spectrum in the 850MHz and 1,900MHz bands. Argentine mobile operators Claro, Personal and Movistar are expected to provide 4G LTE coverage in all provincial capitals and in those cities with over 100,000 inhabitants in 2016. According to the bidding conditions, winning operators will have a maximum of 18 months to deploy LTE infrastructure in these cities.