The sale of Telefónica to Telecom produced an unthinkable event: it managed to align two opinions that are in the antipodes. The thing is Javier Milei asked to investigate if he does not configure a monopoly and received the unexpected praise of Victor Hugo Morales. The Kirchnerist journalist, who maintains a historical battle with Clarin, congratulated the president: “He was encouraged to mess with the Mafia group. He had the toupe to face them, ”he said. At least for a moment, the Arab proverb that says “the enemy of my enemy, is my friend.”
On Monday 24, through a statement, Telecom (formed at 40% by cablevisión, 40% by Mexican David Martínez and 20% quoting on the stock market) reported that he acquired the Argentine subsidiary of Telefónica for US $ 1,245 millionafter the decision of the latter to reduce its exposure in the region. However, from the Government they instructed the National Commission for the Defense of Competition to analyze the legality of the operation, under the argument that a single company will control almost 70% of the mobile telephony market. It is just the beginning of a battle that will be furious.
Are you nervous?
With his decision to investigate the operation, Milei put Telefónica in the center of the scene. Although much of the opposition celebrated that there is a state intervention on the issue, it caught the attention that it is the president who asks to go thoroughly against the sale, leaving aside his libertarian doctrine. In fact, the economist had come to say in a talk that “monopolies are not only bad, but can become wonderful.” Politics can produce changes of ideas.
The second fact that caught the attention of the brand new battle is that the Kirchnerism media war is reissued. The old “Clarín lies” flags reappeared, the image of the then chief of Cabinet Jorge Capitanich breaking the newspaper and the famous phrase of Nestor: “What’s wrong with you, are you nervous?”
Milei’s relationship with the media that Héctor Magnetto had had ups and downs, but was never cut. Despite having called some of their journalists “ensobrados”, there were still lines of communication. In the government they now monitor whether, from this confrontation they proposed, the relationship and treatment of the issues changes. Clarín’s number 1 enemy has no doubt: “The role and web are not saying anything about the scammer’s cryptocurrency,” Victor Hugo Morales said in a publishing house. And he continued: “They tell you: ‘Look how nice it looks. Today we kill you how it was happening. But don’t mess with us. ‘ The fight with the winner known in advance was launched. ”
Arguments
Unlike their detractors, who see Clarin as an octopus that stayed with everything in Argentina, the group maintains that he is a minor player. Compare the capitalization of Telecom and Telefónica (US $ 7.3 billion and US $ 1 billion respectively) with the value of competitors that are already in the country, as AMX (owner of Claro), US $ 87,000 million; either Starlink, by Elon Musk, US $ 350,000 million.
The message that goes down in the group points, mainly, to compare with the latter: Milei comes from meeting with Musk in the United States, praising him and giving him gifts. He has even promoted his company publicly. Clarín will try to show himself as the most vulnerable protagonist of telecommunications, despite the specific weight in the local market.
“With the acquisition of mobile telephone from Argentina, Telecom continues to invest in strengthening the connectivity and technological development of the country with institutional level quality,” is titled the statement that the company gave after the sale. There was no more information and they tried to close the issue.
While the government keeps the discussion alive and will try to make the National Communications Entity (ENACOM) put sticks on the wheel for sale, in Telecom and in Telefónica they consider that there is no turning back. For them, after the statement, the business is still valid and is judged. Time will say who was right.
It was a weeks of surprising turns in the air for Milei. To the appointment of court ministers by decree and the change of position to Ukraine, the president added a conversion of his position on the monopolies. “I suggest you read Murray Newton Rothbard’s article called monopoly and competition. An article that was very revealing for me. I discovered that monopolies are not badS, unless they are armed by the State, ”said the president at the conference at the IDB. Just three days later the sale of Telefónica would be completed and would change their minds.
