The company Telefonica went from monopolizing 22.3% of the total mobile telephone subscriptions in the country in 2015, to concentrating 29.9% at the end of last year.
According to a report prepared by the Superintendence of Telecommunications (Sutel), which was released on November 17th, in the last few years Telefonica has gained ground in the mobile telephone market, and in the cases of Claro and the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE), they have decreased their share.
As a result of the conditions imposed by the Superintendence of Competition to carry out the operation, América Movil and Telefónica decided to cancel the agreement to purchase 99.3% of Telefonica Moviles El Salvador.
According to the technical, legal and economic analysis carried out by the Superintendence of Competition SC, it was warned that the acquisition would produce limitations to competition in the markets of mobile and fixed telephony and business connectivity services.
One of the conditions for authorizing the acquisition is that America Movil must relinquish the right to operate 25 MHz of radio spectrum with national coverage in the 850 MHz band and 30 MHz of radio spectrum with national coverage in the 1900 MHz band, which currently belong to Telefonica.
According to the technical, legal and economic analysis carried out, it was warned that the acquisition would result in limitations to competition in the markets for mobile and fixed telephony and business connectivity services. Therefore, the Board of Directors of the Superintendence of Competition (CDSC) decided to impose a set of conditions to repair the damages, which include enforcement measures prior to the closing of the transaction (ex ante) and a series of subsequent obligations (ex post) in order to counteract such limitations, informed the Superintendence of Competition (SC).
Telefonica announced that it had reached an agreement with Liberty Latin America for the sale of the entire capital stock of its operation in Costa Rica, a transaction totaling $500 million.
Millicom announced that it exercised its right to terminate the Share Purchase Agreement for the acquisition of Telefonica's operating subsidiary in the Central American country.
In El Salvador, businessmen are preparing a proposal for the government to disconnect the 2G telephone network, so that services migrate to 4G and 5G technology.
The initiative, which is being prepared by the National Association of Private Enterprise (ANEP), will be presented to the authorities during the National Meeting of Private Enterprise (Enade) 2019.
With the admission of a new procedure for the authorization of economic concentration, presented by América Movil and Telefonica de El Salvador, begins "the technical, economic and legal analysis that will determine whether or not the transaction will cause a significant limitation of competition."
Both companies submitted this third application for authorization on 19 September this year.
On November 14, the Superintendence of Telecommunications of Guatemala will auction a short number, which is used by commercial entities to provide advertising services, information, assistance and services.
So far, 56 four-digit telephone numbers have been auctioned in the country and the next one to be made available to companies will be 1710, which may be used as a routing mask to an eight-digit number.
After rejecting the two previously filed applications, El Salvador's Superintendence of Competition confirmed that it had received a new request for América Móvil to complete the acquisition process of Telefónica.
In Guatemala, the telephone company Tuenti reported that it will now be part of América Móvil, owner of the Claro brand, following the sale of Telefonica's shares in early 2019.
The Mayor's Office of Managua filed a lawsuit against Millicom, arguing that the company has a debt of almost $1 million on account of five years of arrears in the payment of the Real Estate tax.
The debt claimed by the City Hall corresponds to the alleged omission in the payment of the municipal tax corresponding to 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, a period in which the assets still belonged to Telefónica.
The Superintendence of Competition of El Salvador once again declared "inadmissible the request for authorization of economic concentration presented by América Móvil, which would consist of the acquisition of the share capital necessary to control Telefónica's operations."
The number of active cell phones in the country reached 5.43 million between 2018, 3% more than what was reported in 2017, increase explained by the behavior of the number of mobile phones with type of service per contract.
Reports of the General Comptroller of the Republic detail that between 2017 and 2018 the number of active cell phones in the country went from 5,280,195 to 5,432,789, which is equivalent to a 3% variation.
In El Salvador, the Superintendence of Competition reported that "it has declared inadmissible the request for economic concentration presented by América Móvil S.A.B. de C.V., on March 5 of this year."
"When a new application for authorization is submitted, the SC will continue this process on the basis of a technical, legal and economic analysis, under the principle of independence that the LC mandates and distinguishes its actions, with the sole objective of protecting and ensuring competition in the country," reported the Superintendence of Competition (SC).
After Telefónica was acquired by Millicom, the company plans to invest $1.25 billion in the next five years to expand the network and its services to companies in the country.
On May 16, Millicom reported that it closed the acquisition of Telefonía Celular de Nicaragua, S.A., the number one mobile operator in the country, in addition to TIGO Nicaragua's existing cable operation.