Local representatives from British fixed-line incumbent BT Group recently met with commissioners from Mexico’s telecoms regulator, IFT, to discuss opportunities in the country.
During the 20 November meeting, Jennifer Artley, COO of BT Americas, and…
Local representatives from British fixed-line incumbent BT Group recently met with commissioners from Mexico’s telecoms regulator, IFT, to discuss opportunities in the country.
During the 20 November meeting, Jennifer Artley, COO of BT Americas, and Jorge Marchena, BT’s regional country manager for Mexico and Central America, specifically discussed “growth perspectives and timing to obtain related permits to better take advantage of the new regulations” with IFT president Gabriel Contreras, according to a disclosure on the regulator’s website.
When asked to provide further details on the issues discussed, a BT spokesperson declined to comment. The IFT could not immediately be reached for comment.
The meeting comes at a critical time for Mexico, as President Enrique Pena Nieto overhauled the country’s telecoms regulatory framework earlier this year, in a bid to boost foreign investments and increase competition.
In order to comply with the new regulations, Mexican incumbent America Movil, which controls 70% of the country’s mobile market and 80% of the fixed-line segment, is currently looking to sell a number of assets to reduce its market share to less than 50%.
Earlier this month, US telco AT&T agreed to acquire Mexico’s third-largest carrier Iusacell for US$2.5bn.
Meanwhile, BT is also looking to expand in its home country. Earlier this week, the British telco said it was in takeover talks with Telefonica’s UK mobile business O2 as well as another unnamed operator, which today was confirmed as being EE.
