GSMA THRIVE LATIN AMERICA: Executives from Millicom and Telefonica stressed the need for a regulatory overhaul in the region, arguing major changes to spectrum policy are necessary to incentivise operator investment and make it more economical to broaden coverage.
During a keynote, Millicom CEO Mauricio Ramos (pictured) said a “modern, flexible regulatory framework is required” to enable operators to become an engine for economic growth.
Spectrum policies offering longer licence terms and “improved mechanisms to allocate spectrum from country to country to create scale economies” are also required, he stated, pointing to moves taken by New Zealand [1] as an example of a progressive approach which could be replicated in Latin America.
“The better the spectrum policy is managed the further investment we will draw to the region.”
Alfonso Gomez, CEO of Hispanoamerica at Telefonica, agreed. In a separate presentation, he said regulators “need to be willing to broaden the terms and licences without additional cost”.
The executive cited taxes as another key issue, noting operators in Latin America pay 51 per cent more than in other global markets.
Citing Telefonica’s work on the Internet Para Todos [2] initiative in Peru, he added the right regulatory policies can make it profitable for operators to expand rural coverage.
“We can no longer speak about inclusive digitalisation without reviewing public policies…If communication networks are not a luxury item they should not be treated as such”.
[1] https://www.mobileworldlive.com/asia/asia-news/nz-skips-5g-auction-allocates-airwaves-direct
[2] https://www.mobileworldlive.com/featured-content/top-three/internet-para-todos-aims-to-build-on-peru-success
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