Telecoms & IT

The telecoms and IT sectors, which combined make up a market of around $8bn, have seen substantial growth in recent years. Recent regulatory changes, large-scale investments, and the emergence of new players are effectively shaking up the telecommunications sector, which saw sales reach $5.5bn in 2013, according to the Supervising Organisation for Private Investment in Telecommunications (Organismo Supervisor de Inversión Privada en Telecomunicaciones, OSIPTEL). New regulations imposed by OSIPTEL, the sector’s watchdog, are putting pressure on operators to provide better service, while the entrance of a fourth mobile operator is set to see competition increase. Though the market is still largely dominated by the leading operator, Telefónica, regulatory changes aimed at opening the market to other competitors should lower entry barriers for smaller players. Meanwhile, government efforts to establish a country-wide fibre-optic network is also driving growth in the IT market, which is expected to expand by 14.8%.