Telmex looks at government deal to run Colombia Telecom

Telmex is in talks with the Government of Colombia about plans to give the Mexican telco administrative control of state-owned operator Colombia Telecom, according to BNamericas, which quotes a recent story in local newspaper La República. The government has reportedly suggested that Telmex manage Telecom for a period of between five and ten years and pay a fee to operate its fixed line infrastructure. The state has been under pressure recently to reduce telecoms spending and Telmex has been looking at ways to enter the residential telephony market in Colombia, where it already provides corporate services over infrastructure gained from its takeover of AT&T Latin America. Its sister company América Móvil is present in the country through mobile subsidiary Comcel.