The Federal Telecommunications Commission, or Cofetel, said that its five commissioners were unanimous in setting the rate Alestra must pay to complete calls on Telcel’s mobile network.
The commission said the rate agreed on is cost-based and “allows the companies efficient recovery of their costs, and at the same time sends correct signals to the market regarding the use of resources and investments needed to provide service.”
Telcel, controlled by billionaire Carlos Slim, is Mexico’s largest mobile phone service provider, with about 70% of the country’s mobile subscribers and 60% of mobile service revenue. The company has been under fire in recent weeks from smaller operators calling for lower interconnection rates.
Telcel has offered to extend to all other operators the 95 peso-cents-per-minute interconnection rate it agreed with sister fixed-line phone company Telefonos de Mexico SAB (TMX, TELMEX.MX) and the No. 2 mobile operator Telefonica SA (TEF).
America Movil’s Chief Financial Officer, Carlos Garcia Moreno, said in a meeting with reporters earlier Wednesday that lower interconnection rates would have an impact on the investments made by operators.
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