Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader defended opening the telecommunications market to Vietnamese firm Viettel on Wednesday to boost competition and lower consumer prices.
Speaking at a press conference at the National Palace in Santo Domingo on August 26, 2026, Abinader stated that two companies currently concentrate around 95 percent of the national telecommunications market.
He said that this heavy concentration limits competition across the nation. He stressed that the government is solely interested in healthy competition to improve service quality and bring down telecommunications prices for Dominican consumers.
Abinader noted that telecommunications rates in the country are approximately 22 percent higher than the average in Latin America. He added that greater market competition could incentivize existing telecommunications companies to improve their services and execute larger investments.
The Dominican Republic, located in the Caribbean, has sought to expand digital infrastructure across its population of more than 11 million people. In many regional markets, high entry barriers can lead to dominant players maintaining rates well above continental averages.
U.S. Security Considerations
Addressing the investment proposal of Vietnamese telecom group Viettel, Abinader explained that the Dominican Republic will analyze any concerns that may arise from the United States.
He indicated that Vietnam is a strategic ally of the United States and emphasized that Viettel must comply with American regulations regarding communications security.
The president assured that the government maintains its commitment to the United States and noted that he has not received any formal communication from the U.S. Department of State on the issue.
His remarks follow a public exchange over the weekend between the U.S. and Chinese embassies regarding the security of Chinese technology used in the region. That exchange featured accusations of espionage from the U.S. side and counterclaims of technological intimidation and coercion from Chinese representatives.
Viettel International Operations
Viettel is a telecommunications group from Vietnam with extensive international operations outside its home market.
The group reports serving more than 120 million customers across Vietnam and 10 international markets in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
In the Caribbean, Viettel operates in Haiti through Natcom, a company it began developing following the 2010 earthquake before building a wide fiber optic network across that country.
Entry into the Dominican market would further expand Viettel's commercial footprint in the Caribbean region.
Government Changes and Diplomatic Relations
When questioned about potential changes in his government team, Abinader acknowledged that modifications within an administration are always possible.
However, he clarified that the primary cabinet changes have already been executed. He noted that any additional personnel movements would not necessarily involve a general modification of the administration.
Responding to criticism from sectors suggesting that the Dominican Republic is distancing itself from regional partners following the departure of nine accredited Cuban diplomats, Abinader denied any regional distancing.
He explained that matters involving the Cuban diplomats are being handled directly by the Ministry of Foreign Relations.
Abinader emphasized that the Ministry of Foreign Relations has communicated bilaterally with the Republic of Cuba, maintaining the discretion required for diplomatic affairs to preserve relations between the two countries. He reiterated that the matter is specific to Cuba and does not represent a policy of distancing from neighboring nations.
Economic Growth and Media Dynamic
On economic matters, the president expressed optimism regarding the performance of the Dominican economy through the remainder of the year.
He highlighted Central Bank data showing economic growth of 4.6 percent in July, with cumulative growth standing at 4.5 percent.
Based on those figures, Abinader estimated that the national economy could close the year around 4.5 percent. He stated that officials are very optimistic and noted that the Dominican Republic remains among the fastest-growing economies in Latin America.
At the close of the briefing, Abinader announced a new dynamic to structure interactions between the government and news media.
He explained that the government will host LA Agenda Semanal every Monday to focus on the administration's primary topics and projects.
In addition, the administration will hold at least one press conference during the week to present specific initiatives and take questions from journalists. Abinader said the format aims to maintain continuous contact with communicators and prevent the government's weekly agenda from becoming dispersed, adding that officials remain available to the press.
