Mexico: Communications regulator grants first-ever concession to Indigenous group

For the first time in Mexico’s history, an autonomous association representing indigenous groups has been granted a concession to provide telecommunication services (including mobile and broadband internet services) to over 365 municipalities, spread across 5 states. The move, said the Federal Telecommunications Institute, seeks to address issues with lack of coverage and poor service in remote areas.

The IFT granted the license to provide these services to the non-profit Telecomunicaciones Indígenas Comunitarias A.C. (Indigenous Community Telecommunications). The group represents several communities across five Mexican states. This is the first time in Mexico’s history where an indigenous advocacy group will be allowed to provide its own telecommunications services, as allowed by the country’s new concession model.

“These communities often have no telecommunications services providers at all, not even for internet access. This is why these communities are now trying to fulfil their needs by creating their own incentives to using and getting Telecommunications services” said Rafael Eslava, head of the IFT’s Concessions and Services unit.

The new network will not affect competition in the sector or compete with Mexico’s existing commercial service providers, as both the licensing concession and the receiving organization have been classed as not-for-profit. All revenues must be re-invested into the service, preventing personal gain and setting the new service apart from private providers such as Telcel, AT&T or Movistar, which together dominate Mexico’s mobile and internet markets.

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