América Móvil sees in subsidies an alternative to close the digital divide and accelerate the migration to 5G technology. Daniel Hajj, director general of América Móvil , suggested a few weeks ago that people with less purchasing power could access a device and connectivity plans through social programs. Now, the proposal of Carlos Slim’s company seems to resonate among legislators.
Xóchitl Gálvez, a senator for the National Action Party (PAN), proposes that the government develop policies aimed at subsidizing the Internet for Mexicans, especially those with lower incomes. The resources for the subsidy, he believes, would come from the taxes paid by telecommunications operators for the use of the spectrum.
“It’s not just about putting irons. In some states there is coverage, but (the inhabitants) do not have internet and this may be because they do not have a smart device, because they do not have money to pay for internet or they do not have digital skills. This stops their access,” says the deputy.
In 2021, the number of users in Mexico with internet access reached 88.6 million, which means that 24.4% of the population aged six and over is still not connected to the internet, according to the National Survey on Availability and Use of Technologies of Information in Homes (ENDUTIH). But this is not the only barrier to closing the digital divide. Only 91.7 million people have a cell phone, which means that a fifth of the population does not have access to this technology, according to ENDUTIH data.
Luis Alberto Mendoza Acevedo, president of the Radio and Television Commission in the Chamber of Deputies, comments that although free internet access points are now being developed so that users are connected on public roads, these types of projects do not make sense if you think that there are still many people who do not have a smart device.
Acquiring this type of device and contracting connectivity services today implies “a great monetary effort” for some users in a context in which the pandemic and inflation have reduced purchasing power. According to data from The Ciu consultancy, telephone equipment has become almost 9% more expensive so far this year.
The legislators’ proposal to democratize the acquisition of communication equipment is to eliminate VAT on low-end smartphones to make them more affordable for consumers.
The digital policy suggestions are inserted at a time when Mexico begins its transition to the 5G network, whose technology requires more sophisticated and expensive devices, it also requires greater digital skills.
Daniel Ríos Villa, vice president of telecommunications at the National Chamber of the Electronic, Telecommunications and Information Technology Industry (Canieti), and deputy vice president of external affairs and sustainability at AT&T, assures that support for access to devices and services such as the Internet will help make faster progress in closing the digital skills gap in the country .
