The head of state-owned operator Hondutel is to step down from his position to run for Honduras’ presidency.
Romeo Vasquez Velasquez has been overseeing the bidding process that will see 49% of Hondutel’s mobile business fall into private hands….
The head of state-owned operator Hondutel is to step down from his position to run for Honduras’ presidency.
Romeo Vasquez Velasquez has been overseeing the bidding process that will see 49% of Hondutel’s mobile business fall into private hands. According to a Hondutel spokesperson he stepped down on 11 January.
Velasquez was previously head of Honduras’ armed forces and was a key figure in the country’s constitutional crisis in 2009 which saw former president Manuel Zelaya overthrown.
Hondutel is currently in the process of turning its mobile unit, Movitelh, into a public/private joint venture. It has said that 13 foreign companies have requested the rules for bidding.
The deadline for bids was originally set for 2 January but has been pushed back to 25 January at the request of interested parties.
Honduras has attempted to privatise the mobile unit in the past but has faced strong opposition from trade unions.
The state-owned operator accounted for less than 2% mobile market share in Q4 2012, with Millicom’s Tigo and America Movil’s Claro dominating the market.
