Telecommunications operators: Investment and corporate strategies in Latin America and the Caribbean

Eight years ago, ECLAC conducted a study on the telecommunications sector and on the strategies of the main operators worldwide and in Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC, 2001). The scenario then was one of optimism stemming from technological change, the opening up and privatization of the sector and, above all, the expansion of a few operators that were poised to become leaders in a market rapidly being consolidated worldwide. When the dominant stateowned enterprises in the region were privatized, much of the industry ended up in the hands of foreign (mainly European) companies, which were venturing outside their national borders for the first time. The new operators defined ambitious investment plans to modernize and expand their infrastructure and to meet much of the decades-long unsatisfied demand that existed in Latin American markets. Indeed, telecommunications was one of the main targets of foreign direct investment (FDI) during the capital-flow boom in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Decent Work and Economic Growth