Macri’s ‘pro-business’ government finally allowed Clarin to acquire mobile operator Nextel Argentina in March, with the parent company looking to convert Cablevision into a multi-play operator. However, Telefonica is prevented from expanding into pay-TV services because the government won’t allow telecommunications operators to offer quad-play plans until January 2018 at the earliest.
Earlier this month Telefonica sent two top executives to Argentina to hold meetings with government officials, said the report, adding that the executives were concerned about the prospect that the government may award a 4G licence to Clarin for a tenth of the amount it paid in 2014. According to one of the sources, the Madrid-based operator told the government that it may seek arbitration at the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes if it isn’t satisfied with future developments.
