Mexico unveils plan to expand internet access to 2 million people in rural areas within 18 months

Mexico’s government, through the Agency for Digital Transformation and Telecommunications (ATDT) and in collaboration with CFE Telecommunications and Internet for All (CFE-TEIT) and local operators, announced an ambitious plan to connect nearly 2 million people over 18 months across 2,283 rural communities lacking connectivity. The initiative targets areas with more than 500 inhabitants within a 4-kilometer radius. To attract investment, the Regulatory Telecommunications Commission (CRT) proposed a 50% discount on annual spectrum payments for operators expanding rural coverage, effective from 2026, aiming to make deployments financially viable where private investment has been historically scarce. The plan ensures equal participation of CFE alongside private operators, backed by a regulatory framework that promotes the social use of spectrum to increase equity and access in marginalized zones. Infrastructure includes 4G LTE towers, dark fiber, and free internet hotspots, benefiting both rural and vulnerable urban communities. This effort is part of a broader policy to provide internet to 15 million Mexicans lacking access, reinforcing connectivity as a right and supporting net neutrality without content discrimination. The project also emphasizes digital literacy and operational sustainability, with challenges including financial sustainability, infrastructure costs in isolated areas, digital training, and service maintenance. Projected benefits cover digital inclusion, improved education, access to digital public services, local economic development, citizen empowerment, and narrowing historical inequality. The plan reflects a comprehensive strategy for digital modernization, aiming to close the digital divide through infrastructure, regulatory incentives, and an inclusive legal framework under a digital justice vision.