Ecuador - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Background Report

Synopsis

The Special Telecommunications Law of 1992 provides the basic framework for the Ecuadorian telecom market. It established Supertel (formerly Suptel) as the regulatory authority and created Emetel, a state-owned telecom monopoly. In 1995, Conatel took over from Supertel to become Ecuador’s telecom regulator, and Senatel was given the task of implementing Conatel’s policies. Supertel retained a supervisory role and control over the radio-electric spectrum. With a view to privatisation, in 1997 Emetel was divided into two companies, Andinatel and Pacifictel. In 1997, 1998, and again in 2000, the government tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully to auction off 35% of both Andinatel and Pacifictel to private investors/operators. Fondo de Solidaridad, a state holding company that owned Andinatel and Pacifictel, launched a new tender in May 2005, seeking a management partner for the operators, but nothing came of that plan either. This report provides background information for the more regularly updated Ecuador - Telecoms, Mobile, Broadband and Forecasts. As such, it does not contain statistical data, but covers historical details on the development of Ecuador’s telecom market that are absent from the more up-to-date report.