Peru. The changes in the field of telecommunications promoted by the Supervisory Agency for Private Investment in Telecommunications, Osiptel, have made it one of the sectors that contributes the most to the national economy, reaching 4.8% of the Gross Domestic Product, GDP.
The dynamism in this sector has been reflected in the greater competitive intensity, which has allowed more than 40 million active mobile lines in Peru and more Peruvians to have access to this service. In fact, it is estimated that in 2017 97.6% of Peruvian households have mobile telephony and 75.4% have Internet access (fixed or mobile).
The incentives generated by the regulatory framework for greater competitive intensity are allowing market players to invest more in infrastructure and improve services. Thus, for example, offers and promotions make it possible for users to count on mobile Internet service, on average, at less than one cent of sunshine per MB.
In January of this year, Osiptel approved the new value of the mobile termination charge – payment required by mobile operators for allowing calls from other companies to originate or end on their networks – which was set at 0.66 cents per minute and represented an approximate reduction of 65% compared to the average of the values in force at that time: 1.76 cents (Movistar and Claro) and 2.01 cents (Entel and Bitel), respectively.
Growth in portability
Another mechanism that the regulatory body implemented is that of number portability, which shows a constant and sustained growth since its relaunch in 2014. From that date to the present, more than 9 million cases have been registered in mobile telephony and more than 135 thousand in fixed telephony in which the number portability mechanism has been used; that is, increasingly, users exercise their right to change operating companies, choosing the one that offers them the greatest advantages. Recently, Osiptel also modified the Number Portability Regulation, which further relaxed the procedure for the best exercise of this right.
In July, via public tender, the good pro of the administration of the Number Portability Database was awarded to the company Informática El Corte Inglés, for the period 2019-2024, whose economic proposal is allowing to reduce by 82% the cost for each portability transaction. In this way, OSIPTEL seeks that the highest levels of efficiency are reflected in the market.
End of roaming
In its effort to achieve greater benefits for users, in June of this year Osiptel signed an agreement with the Undersecretariat of Telecommunications of Chile to advance the elimination of international roaming and the establishment of local rates for international calls of mobile services between both countries. The same initiative has been developed at the level of the Andean Community - CAN to eliminate roaming between the nations that make it up: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
The elimination of international roaming will benefit thousands of Peruvians who for family, work, trade or tourism reasons, move between both countries.
