Telefonica DataCorp Acquires 85% of Mexican
Company Optel
PR Newswire - July 28, 2000 11:00
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With This Initiative, Telefonica DataCorp Enters One of the Most Attractive
Latin American Markets and Consolidates Its Strategy of Developing a Global
Service Offer for Latin American Companies
MADRID, Spain, July 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Telefonica DataCorp, the
Telefonica group subsidiary providing global communications services to
companies, has entered the Mexican market with the acquisition of 85% of the
Mexican company Optel Telecomunicaciones S.A. de C.V. In this way,
Telefonica DataCorp, which will operate in the Mexican market under the
name Telefonica Data Mexico, takes another step in the international expansion
it began last year.
Optel Telecomunicaciones, which is partly owned by the Mexican Principia
group, pioneered the roll-out of data networks in Mexico and through its staff
has an in-depth knowledge of both the Mexican market and the particular
idiosyncrasies of the business in that country. Headquartered in Mexico City,
Optel Telecomunicaciones S.A. has a data network with nodes in 17 Mexican
cities including Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana and Puebla. The company also
currently offers VPN (Virtual Private Network) and Internet access services.
The Principia group, which consists of a number of Mexican companies
including Satelites Mexicanos S.A. de C.V. and Globalstar de Mexico S.A. de
C.V., owns 15% of Optel Telecomunicaciones. The two companies should
therefore be able to pinpoint a number of operating synergies, as well as sharing
access to their respective client bases.
With the acquisition of Optel Telecomunicaciones, Telefonica DataCorp is now
making its range of technological advanced services for companies working
with Internet technology available to the Mexican market.
Telefonica, which also provides fixed and mobile telephony, media and B2B
services, first entered the Mexican market through its subsidiary Terra
Networks. Terra Networks Mexico (previously Infosel) is an Internet portal
and ISP.
Next to Brazil, Mexico is one of the largest Latin American markets and it is
therefore a key location for Telefonica DataCorp to secure its leading position
in this market. Additionally, a number of Spanish companies are already
present in Mexico and Telefonica DataCorp should be able to provide services
to these companies immediately.
Guillermo Fernandez Vidal, chief executive officer of Telefonica DataCorp,
said, "Mexico is one of the main Latin American markets, so we must have a
presence there if we are to secure our place as the leader in Latin American
communications." He added that Telefonica DataCorp "has an opportunity to
provide Mexico's corporate sector with a product and service platform based
on internet technology which should facilitate the Mexican sector's transition to
the new economy, while at the same time substantially increasing the solutions
available to companies seeking to expand beyond their existing area of
operation."
Telefonica DataCorp
Telefonica Data, a subsidiary of the Telefonica group, is a leading supplier of
global telecommunications services for companies. It is currently in the process
of rapid international expansion, developing its business in countries such as
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Uruguay, Peru, Mexico, Puerto
Rico and other Latin American countries and the United States. Telefonica
Data is also present in Austria, Italy and Germany.
Telefonica (NYSE: TEF) today is the leading provider of telecoms services to
the Spanish and Portuguese speaking world and Spain's largest company, both
in terms of earnings and stock market capitalisation. At the close of first quarter
2000, Telefonica was managing 39.5 million fixed lines, 21.8 million mobile
telephony clients and 1.1 million pay TV subscribers.
SOURCE Telefonica S.A.
/CONTACT: Edward Holland of Telefonica S.A., +34-91-584-08-44, or
fax, +34-91-532-71-18, or prensa@telefonica.es/
(TEF) |
