President Enrique Peña Nieto has signed into law a major overhaul of the regulations governing Mexico’s telecommunications sector that he expects to bring down telephone charges, widen Internet access and generate greater competition amongst radio and television broadcasters.
Above all, the new legislation is designed to reduce the market domination of telecoms magnate Carlos Slim and Televisa, Mexico’s principal broadcaster.
Under the new laws, all domestic long-distance phone charges from fixed lines will be eliminated from January 1, 2015. The president said this translates into savings of 19.6 billion pesos annually that will mostly benefit families and small- and medium-sized businesses.