Watchdog: Telcel Installs Backup to Avoid Future Network Failure

Mexican mobile operator Telcel, a unit of América Móvil, has installed backup network equipment to prevent a future network failure after it went down for approximately seven hours on Tuesday, February 6, telecommunications regulator Cofetel said in a statement.

Telcel complied with a Cofetel demand to report what caused the network outage by Thursday February 8, which according to Telcel affected 10.7mn of its subscribers.

The cause of the failure originated from the installation of new software in Mexico City and Telcel has told Cofetel that it is working with its equipment provider Nortel Network's (NYSE: NT) local unit to perform tests on the network.

Cofetel will also perform an analysis of the Telcel report and a further inspection of its preventative measures.

The statement did not specify whether fines could be applied or if Telcel had any plans to provide compensation for the lost service to its mobile users.

However, Mexican news wire Notimex quoted the country's regulatory reform agency CFC's director Eduardo Pérez Motta as saying that there are not regulatory provisions available to levy a fine on the operator."

Posted to the site on 12th February 2007