In Mexico, the telecommunications infrastructure faces serious threats due to the activity of organized crime, which is affecting the development of modern technologies such as the 5G network. Alfredo Pacheco, General Director of the National Chamber of the Electronics Industry of Telecommunications and Information Technologies (Canieti), pointed out that companies in the sector are being extorted and are facing obstacles due to organized crime control in certain areas, which hinders the expansion and maintenance of legitimate networks, highlighting the installation of illegal networks using stolen infrastructure.
In response to this troubling situation, companies like Izzi, Totalplay, Axtel, Megacable, and Telmex are reviewing their investments to improve their networks and expand fiber optic coverage in the country. Megacable, for example, has expressed that in some municipalities they have tried to extort them to allow the installation of their infrastructure, and they report daily incidents of vandalism across their 145,000 kilometers of fiber optic networks.
Amid this scenario, the possibility of establishing collaborations with the Army and the National Guard is envisioned as a measure to ensure the security of workers responsible for deploying and maintaining the networks. Canieti warns about the installation of 'pirate networks' by organized crime, using stolen infrastructure to create their own private telecommunications networks, which represents a new threat to the sector.
Marcos Duarte, General Director of HughesNet in Mexico, highlights that regions like Bajío and the north of the country are the most affected by these issues, which negatively impacts the entire industry. Furthermore, there has been an increase in attacks by cybercriminals against telecommunications operators, contributing to the overall insecurity in the country.
Business leaders in the sector are calling on President Claudia Sheinbaum to urgently address the issue of insecurity, as entire municipalities are facing a complicated environment that obstructs the development and operation of telecommunications networks in Mexico.
