The document Evolution and change in the offer of telecommunications services of the Federal Consumer Attorney’s Office (Profeco) details that in Mexico the fixed telephony service was developed from 1878, when the first call was made in Mexico City, two years after the telephone patent was registered by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The infrastructure for this new service came from two companies: Compañía Telefónica Mexicana (also known as “La Mexicana”) and Telefonos Ericsson, which, according to El Mirador of the Ministry of Communications and Transportation, disputed the preference public until the middle of the 20th century.
The networks of these companies were not connected, so the clients of one could not speak with those who were with the competition.
Years later, these companies would give way to the creation of Telmex. In 1947, Teléfonos de México (Telmex) was created, made up of Mexican investors (51.25%) and the Mexican Company. Three years later, they acquired the businesses of the Telephone and Telegraph Company22, positioning Telmex as the dominant fixed telephone company, according to the text Evolution and change in the offer of telecommunications services.
The material indicates that Telmex was acquired by the federal government in 1972, when there were just over a million telephone lines.
The company was in government hands for 18 years. In 1990 it was sold to private capital belonging to América Móvil. These belonged to América Móvil, which also acquired Teléfonos del Noroeste (Telnor), a government company controlled by Telmex. Telnor’s concession had been granted in 1980 and could only provide public telephony services in Baja California and Sonora.
