The telecom market is consolidating but América Móvil is still larger than all of its immediate competitors together

The sale of Telefónica Hispam assets reorganizes the market. Telefónica is just starting with a country-by-country dismantling that will leave multiple heirs. In this new world, América Móvil will be the only player on a continental scale and, due to the lack of an equivalent counterweight, its volume seems to grow. In addition, Telefónica's exit did not mean the entry of new players. The sale of the subsidiaries in Argentina and Colombia went to direct competitors in those markets: Telecom Argentina and Millicom respectively. A scheme with a regional giant and consolidated players in multi-country feuds seems to be on the horizon.  América Móvil covers 16 markets and leads in all services and revenue volume. It has 37% of mobile clients and 25% of broadband accesses. It is followed by Telefónica, which is still present in 7 markets and only intends to stay in one, Brazil. Down the ranking, everything is a geographic specialization with a focus on a sub-region or country. Millicom stands out in areas with very low ARPU (Central America, Colombia, Bolivia, and Paraguay), Televisa in Mexico, Telecom Argentina in the Southern Cone, and Entel in Chile and Peru. The regional quotas are relativized given the need to strengthen its position in the main reference markets. If the acquisition is approved, Telecom Argentina will emerge very strong in the local market, with 59% of mobile and 49% of broadband. Millicom would close the gap in Colombia with América Móvil to reach 33% in mobile and 32% in broadband. Scale is always imperative in network businesses, especially in a post-2019 Latin American environment of depressed ARPUs. However, a large base now also has other possibilities for adjacent business development: data collection is the new king. There are still several Telefónica assets for sale to finish defining a new market equilibrium. This research highlight is based on our data coverage of Telecom in Latin America. Please contact us to get a demo and see the depth of our service. Don't miss our next event, NXT Media Days South America in Buenos Aires, on June 5, bringing together three dynamic event series, each focusing on pivotal areas of the evolving media and advertising ecosystem. By uniting Commerce Media Days South America, Nextv Series South America and CTV Ad Days South America under one brand, we provide a cohesive hub for industry professionals to explore cutting-edge trends, share insights, and develop strategies that will drive the future of media and advertising.