MEXICO

On February 3, the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT in Spanish), made public its Annual Work Program for 2022. The document details the main thematic areas in which the regulator intends to deepen and focus its work, among which stands out to conduct market competition studies in Over The Top (OTT) services, economic competition in the context of the digital ecosystem and promotion of cybersecurity. The IFT will deploy actions to develop these areas of work throughout 2022.

Regarding the analysis of OTT services, the IFT will conduct a study on the commercial strategies of these players and their relationship with telecommunications service operators, in order to identify possible monopolistic practices that limit greater competition in this market. In this way, according to the entity, relevant information will be obtained for the design and implementation of public policies aimed at promoting competitiveness in the sector.

On the other hand, the regulator will conduct studies to evaluate the competitiveness of markets in the digital ecosystem in order to promote free competition. At the same time, it will develop guidelines for the substantiation of procedures and formalities carried out by private parties before the Economic Competition Unit, through electronic means, for the notification of concentrations in market sectors, issuing opinions on bids, among others.

In this regard, recently the IFT signed two collaboration agreements with the National Commission for the Defense of Competition of Argentina and with the International Chamber of Commerce of Mexico regarding the regulation of monopolistic practices. Both treaties establish the basis for the use of material and financial resources between the IFT and the entities to strengthen economic competition in the markets. 

Finally, the IFT will implement the Interinstitutional and Intersectoral Work Program 2022, from which, in collaboration with the private sector and other government entities, joint initiatives and actions will be held to promote digital literacy and responsible use of the Internet. In this sense, it will seek to promote a culture of cybersecurity to encourage data protection and raise awareness among users about the risks in digital environments.