The Foundation for Citizenship and Development (FCD) in a report released a few days ago made several criticisms of the contract renewal process for mobile phone companies. The report is known amid the suspension of the negotiation process led by the Government and companies for the renewal of contracts with companies already in the country: Movistar and Claro. The contract with Clara expired already in August, but it was extended. Meanwhile, Movistar ends in November and is expected to be extended as well. However, the extensions are temporary measures.

Among the main conclusions of the FDC are that, despite the fact that “the Organic Law on Telecommunications considers the possibility of a competitive public tender, which could promote competition by allowing the establishment of new companies on the telecommunications market, the regulation and control of telecommunications. The Agency (Arcotel) has started for the second time the process of renewing contracts with previous suppliers.”

It also points to insufficient transparency and disclosure of the process to citizens. There are few announcements about the progress of the process on Arcotel’s website and its social networks.

Arcotel’s lack of response to sent requests for information is also highlighted, which, they say, indicates a violation of the right to access information of public importance, as well as non-compliance with the Organic Law on Transparency and Public Access. Information (Lotaip).

The state contract with the telephone company Claro has been extended for another six months

Among the conclusions, it is also pointed out that there was a conflict of interests and a “revolving door”, changes of government, which do not allow adequate development of the process. Article 3 of the General Provisions of the Organic Law of the National Public Procurement System was not respected since Certal’s foreign procurement procedure was not published in the Official State Procurement System (SOCE).

The omission shows that the deadlines established by the regulations and Arcotel’s planning for the renegotiation of the concessions with Otecela (Movistar) and Conecela (Claro) were not respected.

In addition, the supervisory office makes several recommendations, taking into account the general interest and consequences of spectrum concessions for citizens, and in accordance with the concept of focused transparency provided for in Lotaip: