Ecuador's anti-monopoly watchdog Superintendencia de Control del Poder de Mercado (SCPM) has fined Consorcio Ecuatoriano de Telecomunicaciones Conecel, a unit of America Movil, USD 138.5 million for abuse of market power. Conecel operates on the local market under the Claro brand name. Claro currently holds a share of 67 percent of the local mobile market, serving nearly 15.5 million customers, El Nuevo Herald reports. The fine is equal to 10 percent of Claro’s revenues in 2012, SCPM said.
The fine follows a complaint submitted in 2012 by Ecuador's state-owned operator CNT, which accused Claro of "abuse of market power". The Superintendency found that Claro carried out anti-competitive practices by signing exclusivity contracts with the owners of land used for broadcast towers.
