Ecuador names new telecoms minister

Ecuador's new President, Daniel Noboa, appointed César Antonio Martín Moreno as the new minister of telecommunications and the information society.

Martín is an electrical engineer with a specialization in electronics and has a master's degree in electrical engineering and control systems.

***

In Argentina, Fernando Ferraro, the new infrastructure minister named by president-elect Javier Milei, met last week with ICT lawyer Tomás Sutton, who will be appointed director of telecoms regulator Enacom, as well as other authorities at the watchdog as part of the transition process. 

The energy, mining and transportation authorities of the outgoing and incoming governments also took part in the meeting.

***

Peru's transportation and communications ministry (MTC) established new rates for carrier services on the RDNFO fiber optic backbone network.

The MTC estimates that the change will increase demand for carrier services by at least 18% and will also encourage the spread of fixed and mobile broadband connections.

The new rates are applicable to the links that connect to the nodes located in 201 of the 286 districts that comprise it, benefiting 70% of the districts where the network reaches.

From a single rate of US$23 with no value-added tax (IGV), the new rates are US$11 for speeds up to 80Mbps, US$3.5 for speeds from 80Mbps to 200Mbps, US$1.3 for speeds between 200Mbps and 1Gbps, and US$1.1 for speeds greater than 1Gbps. All of these rates are without IGV.

The new scheme will be reviewed every 12 months and is limited to the period of provisional operation of the network by Pronatel.

***

The government of Barbados has established a new technology agency called GovTech Barbados Limited, which will be responsible for the government's digital transformation and innovation.

Its activities include identifying and strengthening the innovative ecosystem, creating an innovation center and a platform for technological research, removing barriers to creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship, reaffirming the startup ecosystem, and facilitating the rapid development of digital public services, among others.

The board, consisting of seven members, has been appointed for a period of three years.

***

As part of an injunction launched by Argentine operator Telecom against the decree that imposed controls on retail prices of services, federal administrative litigation court No. 8 declared decree 690/2020 and the resolutions of regulator Enacom 1466/2020 and 1467/2020 null. 

This is the first ruling on the issue of government efforts to limit price increases in the telecommunications sector. 

However, the application of the regulation has been slowed by a series of precautionary measures in force.

***

Mexican watchdog IFT decided to defer the entry into force of the new national numbering by zones in the telecoms sector to July 1, 2024 and, consequently, of provisions contained in the plans to assign and administer numerical and signaling resources.

This measure will allow all providers to have time to satisfactorily complete the necessary changes in their networks and systems, conduct tests, update update billing and other preparations.

In addition, the IFT made modifications to the electronic window system, which will allow 88% of the procedures and services that are the responsibility of the regulator to be resolved electronically means. 

In statistical terms, they represent 99.4% of the total procedures for which applications were received in the first half of the year.

***

The Nicaraguan regulator Telcor announced that it began a nationwide inspection plan with the objective of evaluating and diagnosing the quality of mobile services in the country.

The inspections began in November 2023 and will extend to all departmental capitals of the country.