Mexico. Human capital has been identified as the main source of economic growth of nations, due to its impact on productivity. In fact, in Economic Science it has been shown that it is the cause and consequence of integral development.
In the field of telecommunications, the profile of human capital in oscillates between the fields of:
a) Engineering due to the technical requirements that this industry demands;
b) The legal and regulatory nature of the resources used (approximate to the notion of public goods) and the fundamental nature of access to services;
c) As well as the economic, due to the complex configuration of this market that originally have arisen in general with a monopolistic configuration (as in all infrastructure sectors), as well as its approach to scenarios of competition or concentration.
How abundant is this resource of human capital in this converging sector? At times the sector has suffered from the lack of respect of those responsible for the sector lacking experience and robust academic training.
On the private side of infrastructure and operation companies, this resource, the human, fundamental in its production function, has abounded and accumulated more continuously and abundantly.
Is there a talent crisis for the continued operation of this sector, fundamental for the fulfillment of the constitutional mandate of connectivity?
No, definitely not, but it could be coming.
A first piece of good news has been the early announcement of the participation of people with academic training and professional experience such as Abel Hibert. More recently the pre-appointment of Salma Jalife, who will head from December 1 the Undersecretariat of Information and Communications Technologies (SSTIC) of the SCT, and other figures at the head of government instances. They, we know, have the capacity, experience and professional level required to pay for the development of this sector.
But all the links are important in a chain. Nothing has been mentioned yet about the Telecommunications Investment Promotion Agency (PROMTEL), a fundamental piece in government pride. To date, it has been incubated and nurtured by an experienced public management professional, Fernando Borjón, to carry out the entity of accompaniment, support and supervision of the development of the Shared Public Network (RPC), an expansion project that aspires to contribute to access, connectivity and its consequent, universalization among Mexicans. Designation or ratification there, must have demonstrated the resources and solvency both for the continuity of commercial operations of the PRC and the fulfillment of coverage milestones according to the established deployment schedule.
In general, the early announcement of the names of those who will be responsible for sectoral public policy for this sector, which, in convergent terms, weighs more than 6 percent of GDP and whose services now permeate almost the entirety of our social and economic operation, is worthy of appreciation.
The production function of the sector requires the injection of new technology, which is advancing at a dizzying pace, as well as investments to compensate for the capital deficit that we suffer. Also, of course, a legal and regulatory framework, as well as its timely and effective application. But without the component of optimal human capital, the incompetence in public and private operation would put at risk the efficient provision of these services for the entire population and the national productive apparatus.
Text written by Ernesto Piedras of The Competitive Intelligence Unit, CIU.
