SICT Introduces Policies to Expand Telecommunications Coverage
Home > Infrastructure > Article

SICT Introduces Policies to Expand Telecommunications Coverage

Photo by:   Image by mmisof from Pixabay
Share it!
Emilio Aristegui By Emilio Aristegui | Junior Journalist and Industry Analyst - Tue, 01/17/2023 - 10:39

The Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT) announced new programs to increase telecommunications coverage for the Mexican population, seeking to provide the adequate conditions to access information and communication technologies across the country. 

SICT introduced the Social Coverage and Connectivity programs in Public Sites for 2023: the Social Coverage Program 2022-2023 (PCS 2022-2023) and the Connectivity Program in Public Sites 2023 (PCSP 2023). The programs respond to the population’s right to access to information and communication technologies and are designed to increase internet connectivity in Mexico as a whole. 

“The objective is to contribute to reducing the inequality gaps between those who are connected and those who still live outside the digital world throughout the country,” explained SICT via a press release.

SICT also aims to support the Universal Digital Inclusion Policy, which aims to provide telecommunications services to the most vulnerable sectors of the Mexican population. The policy seeks to implement a service with competitive traits: quality, plurality, universal coverage, interconnection, convergence, continuity and free access, operating without arbitrary interference.

The PCS 2022-2023 identified 63,668 areas without internet coverage in Mexico and determined that 5,900 locations must be labeled as Social Coverage Priority Attention Localities. The PCSP 2023 also found 70,776 properties under the database of numerous public sites and 5,088 priority public sites to be connected. SICT highlighted that the previous program was able to integrate 3,562 locations to the country’s telecommunications services.

SICT provided this information to the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT), which must now guide the concessionaires on the geographic, population, social and connectivity obligations to implement the services in public spaces. 

In November 2022, Infinet Wireless enabled 5,200 interconnected sites in Jalisco, providing connectivity to over 1 million habitants from major cities and small municipalities with minimal or no technological development. “[Infinet Wireless] wants to expand the project in the future to continue boosting the country's economy, in addition to having network coverage with 100 percent Infinet Wireless solutions,” said Miguel Angel Romo, Director, Project Red Jalisco, as reported by MBN.

Photo by:   Image by mmisof from Pixabay

You May Like

Most popular

Newsletter