AT&T Mexico says govt should limit America Movil’s market concentration – paper

2:03 pm Friday, January 28th, 2022

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – AT&T’s top executive in Mexico has urged the government to place limits on its telecom rival America Movil and keep it out of new markets to ensure fair competition, Mexican newspaper Reforma reported on Friday.

The warning by Monica Aspe, chief executive of AT&T Mexico, comes days after Mexican regulators withheld a pay TV permit from America Movil amid complaints from rivals the move would further enhance its dominance.

Aspe said Mexican regulators needed to maintain an even playing field to keep companies such as AT&T in the country.

“Our wish is to be able to continue to grow in the country in the coming years. However, like the future of any global company, the presence in a particular market is periodically analysed,” Aspe said in a statement, which an AT&T spokesperson sent to Reuters in full.

America Movil dominates the Mexican telecom market, controlling 70% of mobile internet services and more than 62% of mobile phone services, according to data from Mexico’s regulator, the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT).

Controlled by the family of Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, America Movil has been barred from entering the pay-TV market in its home country since the 1990s.

“We don’t ask for special privileges. We ask that (America Movil) is obliged to comply with regulatory and legal requirements… If that happens, we’ll continue to compete here,” Aspe added.

The United States also raised competition concerns with Mexico https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/exclusive-us-voices-concerns-mexico-ahead-decision-america-movil-pay-tv-license-2022-01-24 about America Movil before the regulators convened to decide on whether to allow the firm into the pay-TV market.

“(America Movil’s) entry into the pay television market could have a harmful cross-effect on the mobile market. That is worrying for the consumer,” Aspe said.

(Reporting by Kylie Madry; Editing by Drazen Jorgic and Tomasz Janowski)