Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Mexico looks to boost competition in fiber auction - FierceTelecom

May 25, 2009

Mexico's government-led electric utility Comision Federal de Electricidad will auction dark fiber capacity on its existing network later this year in an effort to jump-start telecom competition, according to Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who announced the plan in a speech last week. It's an interesting move by the government in a market dominated by Telmex, a situation that in the past the government has not appeared eager to change, according to local reports.

Telmex is run by international telecom player and multibillionaire Carlos Slim, and the telco has more than 17 million lines in the service. Under the new plan, alternative carriers will be able to light their own fibers and connect with CFE's network through more than 100 carrier hotels to get a leg up in competing against Telmex...