High-speed communication systems are an essential stepping stone for the development of Mexico’s vast potential, helping expand the country’s market and reinforcing its democracy
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he logistics
involved in making e-Mexico a reality are daunting. In each of more
than 2,400 municipalities through the country the government is creating
the equivalent of internet cafes for the benefit of ordinary working-class
citizens.
In a country of 763,944 square miles – eight times the size of
Britain – the distances involved mean that satellite communications
are key to the scheme. Many of these internet centres will be located
in schools, libraries and other public buildings and the target is to
connect 10,000 of them by 2007.
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The
man charged with overseeing this complex task is Jorge
Alvarez Hoth, the Under-Secretary of Communications.
The first stage of the scheme is well under way and Mr Alvarez explains
why e-Mexico is so important for the country’s 100 million people.
“In Mexico it would not be possible to connect every home to the
internet for many years for the simple reason that many cannot afford
it,” he says.
“About half our population would have
difficulties in finding the entry price of £250 to £300
and the continuing charge of around £25 a month. So what we’re
going to do is create a community base in all the 2,445 municipalities
with at least one digital community centre in the first phase of the
programme. With 10,000 centres, at least 85-90 per cent of the population
will have access to high-speed communications.”
The government has set up a social fund
to deliver educational programmes, in particular to improve literacy
rates among the rural communities. The vast bulk of the funding, however,
will come from private investors. There are many players involved in
the e-Mexico scheme, from government departments and agencies, banks
and the private sector. Among the most prominent is Telmex, the largest
telecommunications company in Latin America.
| The e-Mexico project has firm foundations and a well-structured telecommunications base |
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Telmex,
formerly a government monopoly, is still the dominant player in the
telecoms market, operating more than 90 per cent of the fixed-line network.
The company has rapidly been extending its network and has already connected
a number of internet centres in schools which can also be used by the
local community after school hours.
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Jaime
Chico Pardo, Chief Executive of Telmex, says: “President
Fox’s plan is very much in line with our thinking. We are fully
integrating our strategy with e-Mexico. In the past, we had an aid programme
to provide voice services to communities. We are doing the same thing
today, taking the internet cafe concept to these centres.”
Telmex has also devised several of its
own schemes to help more people gain access to the internet. The company
offers a pre-paid card for fixed lines or the whole package, from computer
to connection, on a pay-back basis.
“This makes it more affordable,”
says Mr Chico Pardo. “In fact, today, I believe we are selling
most of the PCs in Mexico. One scheme that we have launched for a different
market at a lower price, comes complete with the internet at $30 a month
over a three-year period.”
| Customers are looking for entire telecoms solutions, not just internet connectivity |
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Mr
Chico Pardo is also very interested in the content that will be delivered
by the nationwide electronic revolution. “Connectivity alone is
not enough,” he says. “We need to bring entire solutions to
customers, not just the internet. We have been working with small and
medium-sized businesses for some time in this respect.
“I think the e-Mexico project has
solid foundations and is very well-structured. What is important to
point out is the level of private sector participation.
“We have to take Mexico into the new century with the right tools
to be competitive. To speed up the process, the government and the telecoms
industry must continue to move in the same strategic direction, and
that is what e-Mexico is doing in integrating this huge project.”
Satmex, Latin America’s leading satellite
communications company in which the government has a 25 per cent stake,
is deeply involved in the e-Mexico project. With three satellites already
in operation covering a region stretching from the southern tip of South
America to North America and a fourth being launched this year, the
company is poised to carry even more traffic.
Lauro Gonzalez Moreno, Executive President
of Satmex, says the company feels it has an enormous responsibility
to the people of Mexico. “Satmex immediately responded when the
e-Mexico initiative was being devised, because it was obvious that satellite
communications would be needed,” she says. “A lot of trust
is placed in us, because Mexico’s strategic services depend on
our satellites, as will e-health and e-education. We’re very excited
to be contributing to the project.”
Adrian Vargas Guadajardo, President of
the MVS Group, which has interests in television, radio, film production
and the internet, is another sector leader who is backing the e-Mexico
project. “We see e-Mexico as a means to develop the country,”
he says. “It will not only help to expand the market, but it has
a social element too. It will reinforce democracy.”
| The country has a very young population and many are avid users of new technology |
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Meanwhile,
the number of mobile telephones has already overtaken fixed lines, and
Carlos Garcia Moreno, Director of Finance and Administration at America
Movil, predicts a further massive expansion following the launch last
year of the so-called 2.5 Generation GSM (global system for mobile communications)
network in Mexico. The new GSM service permits the transmission of images
as well as voice.
America Movil, the hugely successful spin-off
from Telmex, is now Latin America’s largest cellular operator,
with subsidiaries in Guatemala, Ecuador, Brazil, Columbia, Argentina
and the US, as well as Mexico. Its subsidiary Telcel is the largest
mobile company in Mexico, with more than 19 million subscribers.
“Mexico has a very young population; about one and a half million
18-year-olds enter the labour market each year. They are very keen on
new technology, so the potential is very big,” adds Dr Moreno.
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