Since October, Promtel has suffered massive layoffs, including that of the then head María de Lourdes Coss, with the aim of slimming down its structure to convert the organization into a section of the new Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency.
“Until before September 30, it was clear about the continuity of Promtel, but at the beginning of October all the positions were requested. Now they are considering moving the powers of the organization, especially those that involve the surveillance of Altán, under the umbrella of the Agency that Merino will preside over,” said a source with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified because the matter is not public. .
What is Promtel?
Promtel is a decentralized organization of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) that aims to promote the expansion of telecommunications infrastructure and support small operators to enable connectivity services.
Promtel, for example, managed to ensure that 20 projects received financing of up to 10 million pesos through a fund for rural areas run by the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) and the Ministry of Economy.
But in addition to promoting small operators, the organization is the entity in charge of monitoring Altán Redes’ coverage milestones, as well as the design, installation and operation of the infrastructure.
“What is sought most from Promtel is to absorb the power to monitor the APP (the Public Private Association, that is, Altán), but it is not clear how they would do it, since the people who had clarity on the issue are no longer there” said the source.
Altán’s surveillance takes on greater relevance because in the last year the relationship with the State has become increasingly closer, taking into account that the company is already practically owned by the government as it only has Morgan Stanley as a private investor. Added to that is that the company that offers network capacity to Virtual Mobile Operators (OMV) has stopped paying Promtel itself for the 700MHz band spectrum.
Fernando Borjón, former commissioner of the IFT and chief consultant at Access Partnership, said that the movements taking place within Promtel can be understood as part of the modifications to the Organic Law of the Federal Government, sent on November 1 by the president , which seek to modify and add structures of the Secretariats of State and create new entities such as the Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency.
With the project, comments the specialist, it could be assumed that for the creation of the José Merino Agency the role of promoting Altán coverage will be taken, rising to the State level, but this would imply that, in effect, Promtel would see its powers reduced. and the organization is only maintained due to legal and regulatory issues that link it to the Red Compartida.
José Merino, the next head of the Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency, previously told Expansión that Altán Redes is key to promoting a more sustainable connectivity model in the administration of Claudia Sheinabum, so it is essential to keep the company’s operation close. .
But although the proximity of Altán and the reduction of Promtel’s powers may raise questions, for the specialist the creation of the Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency is a success because the issue of connectivity and digitalization will be placed at the level of the Secretariat of State, something that the OECD itself recommended since 2017 and that was sought in the industry itself.
“The part that could draw attention and is debatable is the convenience and how Promtel would be maintained so that the public-private partnership with Red Compartida continues to operate. The organization becomes essential for Altán to continue walking and even more so when the State seeks to provide internet to the entire country as part of the CFE reform, but with the risk that the company’s surveillance is not very clear,” said Borjón.
Add Comment