AT&T Mexico has become one of the telecommunications operators to spin positive results for three consecutive quarters, both in the sale of its services and in its operation, thanks to greater growth in the revenue of its products and the increase in the number of subscribers, mainly wholesalers.
The telecommunications company has established itself as “one of the most relevant wholesale networks in the country,” according to Mónica Aspe, CEO of AT&T Mexico, pointing out that the total migration of Telefónica Mexico’s traffic to its network has been a watershed for history operator.
It was not an easy task. Passing an entire operation of a company of around 23 million users and eight Virtual Mobile Operators (MVNO) is complex if one takes into account that it implies turning off an access network, returning spectrum.
Analysts consulted agree that the agreement signed by AT&T with Telefónica in 2019 to host all the company’s traffic marked the beginning of the reconfiguration of the wholesale market where Altán Redes is the main network to host operations of companies such as Mobile Operators. Virtual (OMV) Bait, Izzi Móvil, Telgen, Pillfon, among others.
“The fact that Telefónica chose AT&T over Altán to move all of this company’s traffic implied a challenge for the users it had, this fact leads to AT&T becoming one of the most relevant wholesale companies in the country” , assured Michel Hernández Tafoya, director of Observatel.
The network of the company chaired by Mónica Aspe is currently one of the most attractive for MVNOs. In March of this year, Megacable announced that it will use the AT&T network to increase the coverage of its Mega Móvil MVNO, despite the fact that the Guadalajara company still has an agreement with Altán Redes.
For its part, Sky, the satellite television unit of Grupo Televisa, also reported last week that it will offer new mobile services with the AT&T network. This company currently uses the infrastructure of Altán Redes to provide restricted television services via satellite, however, Sky has indicated that Altán’s financial situation has slowed down its additions in band and even had to increase its prices in the first quarter of the year.
Jesús Romo, director of the consulting firm Telconomía, considers that Altán’s difficulties in consolidating itself as a wholesale option in the mobile services market undoubtedly arose since Telefónica chose the AT&T network to migrate its traffic and then its financial situation that forced the company to enter commercial bankruptcy is making the MVNOs, its main business and source of income, no longer see it as the first option.
“AT&T, without being raised as a wholesale project from above (the government) and without giving it resources, has already become a wholesaler that is going to support Telefónica, which has a renewed model in Mexico, and apart from that, it is going to help Televisa to shore up the strategy that has a fixed OMV, while Altán is in financial trouble. I don’t know to what extent the MVNOs are going to displace the access network to Altán”, warns Romo.
Due to its financial problems, Red Compartida had to stop the deployment of infrastructure during the first months of this year, which affected the entry of new MVNO clients. The company currently has 6 million users on its network, 114 clients that offer 257 integrated services.
The director of Observatel considers that the reconfiguration of the wholesale market where AT&T is now underpinned reflects the perspectives that MVNOs have for their business models, such as new services that they want to offer and the coverage that they want to have.
“It is possible that AT&T is offering attractive and favorable conditions after Altán, although it must be said that there are still few companies in the market that provide these services. But without a doubt, now that AT&T is a more attractive company, it could affect Altán a lot,” adds the expert.
