Telmex to ignore Mexican DTT auction
June 13, 2012
By Chris Forrester
Telecoms giant Telmex, owned by billionaire Carlos Slim, will not take part in the upcoming Mexican auction of digital terrestrial frequencies. Telmex’s general director (and nephew of Carlos) Hector Slim Seade, said that Telmex’s America Movil business will instead focus on pay-TV.
Telmex/America Movil has some 14 million pay-TV subscribers in Latin America, and is anticipating a 20 per cent growth this year. Telmex’s Mexican partner is US DTH operator Dish.
Mexico’s plan is to auction off 306 specific frequencies, and within the new rules two must be home to two new national TV networks. It is not yet clear whether Mexico’s current market dominators Televisa and TV Azteca will be permitted to participate in the auction