posted on March 12, 2004 10:22:07 PM new
Could this spell the eventual end of the TelMex monopoly?
US wins WTO Mexican phone ruling
The US has won a World Trade Organization ruling that is likely to mean consumers and companies paying less to telephone Mexico.
At present, all calls are routed via Mexico's national phone company Telmex.
The US complained that companies are overcharged as a result and that the system has cost users more than $1bn (£554m) since 2000.
The WTO agreed that Mexico was acting illegally, though it will have the chance to appeal against the decision.
Trade tariffs
US trade representative Robert Zoellick said that the ruling was an "important victory for American consumers and the telecommunications industry".
He continued by saying that: "Mexico has provided a single, dominant company with a government mandate to set excessive rates for international calls".
Free trade has come to the fore in recent months, with countries such as the US and China accusing each other of unfair practices before imposing tariffs on goods ranging from steel to underwear.
It even seems to have become a platform from which to fight for the presidency of the US, with George W Bush being criticised for not doing enough to protect the country's domestic markets
In fact, the US was criticised by the WTO at the start of this year for failing in its pledge to support free trade and had its "uneven record of compliance" with rulings highlighted.
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If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on March 13, 2004 04:19:40 AM new
Yes, I did..It is really expensive to call down. At least by comparison. I can call Germany for about half what I have to pay to call into Sonora, Mexico. The best rate I've been able to come up with is using a calling card.Add to that the fact that rural phone service stinks in Mexico and it could be time for some changes....not good for my TelMex portfolio though
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posted on March 13, 2004 06:26:12 AM new
Prof - what is the internet service like in Mex?
Could you use one of those internet phones?
I noticed all the time I sold on eBay I sold to Canada, England, Israel, Singapore, Kwajalein, Guam, The Turks and Cacos, Japan, and a few others but never right next door in Mexico.
posted on March 13, 2004 11:30:29 AM new
LOL - yeah - miht want look into redistributing some of those TelMex funds. I too turned to calling cards for my Mexico calls long ago, some of them give some great rates.
Gravid - since it is easier and faster in a lot of areas to get cable than a phone I know most of the people I have have internet access thru high speed cable. Many also gave up the concept of land lines in recent years and operate purely via cell. As for less sales from Mexico there are a few plauible explainations
1) Mexico has a very depressed economy, the average working man is bringing home $300 a month so ebay is a luxury many simply cannot afford.
2) Most items available in the US and on ebay can be purchased for less right there in their own country - did you know that Mexico has it's own branch of ebay - MercadoLibre?
3) Check out the EO board at how paranoid some sellers get regarding foreign dealings, can you imagine some of the responnses bidders get when inquiring about sales? Last Mexico bidder I had was an American national living in Cancun, she was shocked that I had no qualms about selling to her and worked to try to find an affordable reasonable shipping method, she said generally very few sellers would agree to sell to her.
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If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on March 13, 2004 12:21:43 PM new
gravid, it might be that IP telephony would work to Mexico if you were calling to an area with high speed....right now, that's only in metropolitan and heavily touristed areas...wouldn't work for me most of the time...the spread of the net in Mexico has two things working against it. One, the crappy phone lines in rural areas and two, the lack of startup capital for people wanting to set up small ISP's in the smaller towns. It's very expensive and takes forever for somebody trying to start an ISP to pay to get the necessary T1 lines. They just don't exist in lots of areas. In addition, existing ISP's often charge by the minute, like AO-Hell used to, making it real expensive for the average person, especially if there's no local dial up number. Some competition for TelMex may make everything more affordable, and help spread the lines around a little more...just kidding about my telmex stock...I sold it over 2 years ago when I sold pretty much everything else...I'm sticking to property from now on...too busy and getting too old to mess with anything as weird as the stock market
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