Telcel faces technical hurdles under Mexico anti-spam reform

América Móvil mobile unit Telcel and competitor AT&T face technical challenges in identifying unsolicited commercial calls following a newly approved legal reform in Mexico. The Mexican Senate approved changes to the Federal Consumer Protection Law to penalize unsolicited marketing calls with fines ranging from 56,000 to 2.3 million Mexican pesos.

Ernesto Piedras, director of consultancy The Competitive Intelligence Unit (The CIU), warned in an interview with EL CEO that carriers face significant limits in determining call intent solely from network data. While telecom operators can monitor traffic volume and detect atypical frequency, such as two numbers connecting up to 50 times a day, they cannot verify whether that traffic represents bank sales, other commercial activity, or extortion.

The bill, introduced by PAN senator Mayuli Latifa Martínez, aims to reinforce consumer rights by penalizing companies that hire third parties for unauthorized marketing campaigns. Mexico already operates the Public Registry to Avoid Advertising (REPEP) under consumer protection agency Profeco. Created in 2004 and operational since 2007, the registry holds roughly 377,000 registered phone numbers and has gathered more than 3,000 complaints.