Communications

Overview

Since the 1990s, telecommunications services have been transformed by privatization of the national telephone company and the advent of wireless technologies. Following the privatization of Teléfonos de México (Telmex) and the opening of the sector to other private carriers in the 1990s, fixed-line density rose from 6.4 lines per 100 in 1990 to 17 lines per 100 in 2004. Availability of residential fixed-line service varies greatly by region; Mexico City and the more developed northern states experience much higher service densities than the eight poorest southern states. The continued high cost of fixed-line services, together with an incomplete build-out of the fixed-line network, has contributed to a proliferation of mobile telephone use. The number of mobile cellular telephone accounts rose from 14 million in 2000 to more than 40 million in the first half of 2005. During 2004 the number of households with personal computers (PCs) stood at 137 per 1,000 residents. Paralleling telephone service, regional disparities are large; Mexico City and the northern states are well ahead of the south in home PCs per capita. During 2004 approximately 15 million Mexicans were classified as Internet users. Major telecommunications infrastructure includes 120 domestic satellite earth stations, 52 international stations and an extensive microwave radio relay network.

Mass Media

Mexico is considered the media capital of Spanish-speaking Latin America. In 2004 the country had approximately 300 daily newspapers, 1,300 radio stations, and 460 television stations, most under private ownership. Television is the most influential medium; a majority of stations are affiliated with either the Televisa or Tele Azteca national networks. The press is largely free; however, liberal defamation and libel laws have been widely cited as a constraint on press freedoms. Violence against journalists by drug smuggling gangs poses a growing concern, especially in northern Mexico.

Source: Library of Congress – Federal Research Division Country Profile