5G in Mexico: The Deployment of Technology With a Purpose

Watch a virtual discussion from the AT&T Policy Forum on the importance of 5G deployment in Mexico, the future challenges of deployment associated with the current public policies, and the benefits that this new technology will bring to the country.

The event opened with an introduction from Nicole Rodríguez, CTO, AT&T Mexico; and Raúl Romero, Market unit LAT North Head, Nokia.

Following the introduction, the event featured two panel discussions and an interview with Javier Juarez, Interim IFT President and journalist and opinion leader Katia D’Artigues.

The first panel discussion focused on new business opportunities across all sectors and the necessary requirements to seize the potential of this new technology to build a secure 5G ecosystem. The panel, moderated by Stephanie Lewis of Opinión 51, featured remarks from Hector Marin, Senior Director, Government Affairs, Qualcomm; Nicole Rodríguez, CTO, AT&T Mexico; and Raúl Romero, Market unit LAT North Head, Nokia.

The second panel discussion highlighted the investment and regulatory policies needed to promote the deployment of 5G and the supporting echo system. This discussion moderated by Jake E. Jennings, Head of Global Trade Policy, AT&T, featured commentary from Elena Estavillo, CEO, Centro-i para la Sociedad del Futuro; John Mayo, Executive Director for the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy; and Verena Weber, OECD.

Katia D’Artigues is a reporter, political columnist and activist for the rights of people with disabilities. After more than 25 years in the media (press and television), in 2010 she founded “Comunicación para la Inclusión”, an organization for the full inclusion of people with disabilities. Katia is also a co-founder of “Yo tambien, Discapacidad con todas sus letras”. Columnist in Animal Político, Vértigo y Opinión 51 and advisor of the National Council to Prevent Discrimination, CONAPRED, and UNICEF Mexico.

Monica Aspe leads AT&T Mexico, serving 20 million people and businesses. Monica has broad experience in the telecommunications sector and has been a business executive, an entrepreneur, a public official and a diplomat. Before her appointment as CEO, she was VP of External Affairs & Corporate Communications at AT&T Mexico. Prior to joining AT&T, Monica served as Mexico’s Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the International Energy Agency (IEA). Previously, as Undersecretary of Telecommunications, she promoted key reforms for economic competition and digital inclusion. Before, she was General Director of Mexico’s Broadcasting Chamber, as well as consultant in public affairs. Monica currently serves as an independent board member of publicly traded companies in aviation and manufacturing.

Elena Estavillo is an expert in topics of the digital ecosystem competition, regulation, gender, and leadership, with especial emphasis in exponential and data technology as well as the transformation that they generate in our society.  She is the founder and general director of Centro-i for the Society of the Future, associate director of AEQUUM consultancy, president and co-founder of Conectadas, a network of women leaders in ICT dedicated to promote the participation of women in the high level decisions taken in the electronic communications sector, and former founder commissioner of the IFT.

Juan Sebastian Gonzalez is Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, with responsibility for U.S. diplomatic engagement and policy implementation in Central America and the Caribbean. He was previously at the White House, most recently as Special Advisor to Vice President Joe Biden from 2013-2015, where he advised and represented the Vice President on all policy matters related to the Western Hemisphere. Juan also served at the White House from 2011 – 2013 as National Security Council Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs, coordinating U.S. policy development and implementation in the Andean region (Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela). Before joining the White House, Juan served in various capacities in the Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, including Chief of Staff to Assistant Secretary of State Arturo Valenzuela. He also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Huehuetenango, Guatemala and worked in the New York State Assembly as a Legislative Assistant to Assemblyman Sam Hoyt (D-144). Juan received an M.A. with distinction from Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and a B.S. from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and speaks fluent Spanish. He is a native of Cartagena, Colombia.

Jake Jennings is Head of Global Trade Policy, in Washington DC, where he is responsible for AT&T’s policy development and advocacy on trade focusing on the digital economy and Internet Policy. Jake works closely with AT&T’s diverse business units, and the team of international external affairs advocates around the world. AT&T provides wholesale services to over 220 countries and territories, and provides enterprise services to over 130 countries. His work includes efforts on market liberalization, pro-competitive licensing procedures, reasonable compliance requirements, and polices to promote a secure and stable internet. Mr. Jennings is based in AT&T’s Washington D.C. office. Prior to joining AT&T in 2008, Mr. Jennings had been an Associate Bureau Chief for the Federal Communications Commission focused on domestic and international broadband and internet policies. He worked for the Chairman on a new healthcare telemedicine program, “Rural Health Care Pilot Program” and international issues, including Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and International Telecommunications Union). His focus was on broadband deployment, network management, and universal service. He has previously he worked at NuVox Communications as Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Illinois Commerce Commission. He has a graduate degree in Economics and an undergraduate degree in Mathematics, Statistics and Economics from the University of Central Oklahoma.

Javier Juárez Mojica has been an IFT Commissioner since October 2016.  He started his career in COFETEL, participating in projects like the elaboration of the Technical Fundamental Plan of Interconnection and Interoperability. He also worked as Director Specialist in Telecommunications at Entuizer, before going to the IFT as Head of the Policy Unit. Javier has an Engineering Degree in Electronics and Communication from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), as well as a Master’s Degree in Technologies of Information and Administration from the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico, and another Master’s Degree with specialty in Network and Communications systems from the Escuela Nacional Superior de Telecomunicaciones of Bretaña.

Stephanie Lewis cofounded Opinion 51, a web platform with over 80 of the most important writers in Mexico. She is also a cofounder of Trooper and Cinemanagement. Stephanie has collaborated with CNN en Español, MVS Radio, Forbes Life, Reporte Indigo, and Fortune en Español in topics of travel and tourism. In 2014 she participated in the first edition of “Las 30 Promesas de los Negocios en Mexico de Forbes Mexico”.

Hector Marin is Senior Director, Government Affairs for Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and the Andean region. In this position, his main goal is to manage the regulatory policy and strategic initiatives for the deployment and advancement of Qualcomm’s technologies and services. He participates in the activities of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and other international forums. He has more than 32 years of experience in wireless systems.

John Mayo is the Elsa Carlson McDonough Chair of Business Administration and Professor of Economics, Business and Public Policy in Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. He is also the Executive Director for the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy. His research interests lie in the application of microeconomics to public policy. He has published over one hundred journal articles, monographs, and book chapters as well as a comprehensive textbook in regulation and antitrust. He has held a number of senior administrative positions at Georgetown including a term as Dean of the McDonough School of Business, and has served as a Visiting Scholar at UC-Berkeley and Stanford University. He has testified before Congress, state legislatures and regulatory bodies on a number of matters including monopolization, price fixing, mergers, and regulatory policy. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis and his B.A. from Hendrix College.

Andrew Reinsdorf is responsible for advancing AT&T’s global policy priorities in countries outside the United States. In his role as head of International External and Regulatory Affairs, he leads a team that advocates before international departments of the US government, and all branches of government outside the US, including executive, legislative and regulatory agencies, for AT&T and its affiliates. Andrew’s responsibilities include advocacy on policy matters that promote investment, innovation, and sustainable economic growth across the global digital economic ecosystem in support of AT&T’s diverse international portfolio. AT&T is a premier global communications company, with more than $168 billion in 2021 revenues and 100 million U.S. customers, providing wholesale services and mobile roaming services to over 220 countries and territories, and business enterprise services to countries representing over 99 percent of the world’s economy. Between 2017 and 2021, AT&T invested more than $135 billion in its global wireless and wireline networks, including capital investments and acquisitions of wireless spectrum. Prior to his current role, Andrew served as Senior Vice President, WarnerMedia Government Relations, responsible for WarnerMedia’s public policy development, federal, state and international legislative advocacy, and constituency relations. Before AT&T acquired DIRECTV in 2015, Andrew lead DIRECTV’s Washington, D.C. office overseeing the federal, state and local legislative and regulatory agenda. Andrew has also held senior government affairs positions with the National Association of Broadcasters. He is a board member emeritus of United Community, a nonprofit serving economically challenged families in Alexandria, Virginia. He has also been a volunteer reading mentor for nearly two decades with EveryBodyWins in Washington, D.C. public schools.

Nicole Rodriguez Van den Branden is VP and Chief Technology Officer in AT&T Mexico with over 20 years of experience in the Telecommunications Industry. She leads the planning, integration, design, performance, implementation and mobile asset operations of AT&T Mexico and will lead the 5G network deployment in the country in the next years. Nicole has over 28 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, specializing in a wide range of technologies for fixed and mobile networks, over four different countries.

Raul Romero is Nokia’s head for LAT North, based in Mexico City. For the last 25 years, Raul has occupied diverse leadership positions in the operative, sales, and business development areas in North and South America. Before this position, Raul led the big accounts attention department, covering accounts from Argentina to Mexico. He was also the head of Alcatel in Colombia.

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