Antel decided this week to provide services of fiber optic infrastructure to large clients, after the Directory of the public telecommunications company approved the new business plan In this regard, a measure that provoked criticism from the vice presidential candidate for the Broad Front (FA), Carolina Cosse.
He Antel Directory approved the new business plan to sell fiber optic infrastructure services to large customers; that is, allow other companies to use the fiber optics of Antel to offer their own fixed internet servicesIn exchange, the public company will charge a wholesale rate that enables the use of two sections of the network, connectivity and international access, while the last section must be completed by the cable operators.
“The Antel board of directors decided to allow private companies to use its infrastructure to compete with it. This is like Coca Cola deciding that Pepsi can use its bottles, crates and trucks to distribute its product. Unbelievable,” the vice presidential candidate responded on her social networks.
The keys to the measure
The measure was taken since, currently, there are more than 50 cable television companies that received Class B licenses to offer services of broadband and internet in homes. For this reason, and as indicated by the Minister of Industry, Energy and Mining (MIEM) Elisa Facio, Antel “seeks to have a competitive offer” in this new market.
According to El Observador, the sale of infrastructure services operated by technicians of the state company has been carried out “for a long time”. In this regard, they explained that a resolution from 2010 when Carolina Cosse presided Antel already established that possibility, and also defined a tariff for those services to private individuals.
The difference is that now, this resolution is updated “considering the needs of the market” and wholesale rate plans include speeds of 5, 10 and 40 Gbps. In addition, the plan called Internet Alliance would allow for “lower rates and greater bandwidth” for large customers.
The vote against the Broad Front
In line with recent arguments of the Broad Front regarding Antel and the scenario of competitiveness – or disadvantages – that is being built for the public company, the representative of the Board of Directors, Daniel Larrosa, He was the only one who voted against the new plan, which was approved with the support of the company’s president. Annabela Suburú and the vice president, Diego Machin.
According to Larrosa, “something that is not included in the law was achieved through an administrative resolution.” Urgent Consideration Law and not in the Media Law ”, and maintained that, through the new plan, the competition is given “a differential” that has Antel to compete, such as the urban, suburban and international networks.
A similar argument was expressed to oppose the authorization of the merger of Montecable, New Century and TCC.
On the other hand, the director representing the Frente Amplio pointed out that the approved special prices imply reductions of between 50% and 85% on the rates of products that had already been adjusted in October 2023, within another regulatory framework; and that there was no economic study on the impact of the new plan on the internet business.
Source: Ambito
