Indotel releases draft of new telecommunications law in Dominican Republic

The Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel) has released a draft of the new General Law of Telecommunications, Digital Infrastructure, and Connectivity for public consultation. The proposed legislation aims to modernize the country's regulatory framework, which has been in place since 1998, to address technological transformations and strengthen cybersecurity, user protection, and spectrum management.

Key objectives of the reform include closing the digital divide, facilitating infrastructure deployment through an electronic single window, and promoting network sharing. Indotel President Guido Gómez Mazara has emphasized that increasing market competition is a primary goal to ensure better service quality and more favorable prices for consumers.

In response to the proposal, the Association of Communication and Technology Companies (Comtec) has called for an extensive dialogue process. Comtec requested that the revision incorporate the experience of current operators and investors to rigorously evaluate how the new provisions will impact competition, investment, and service quality. This legislative push coincides with significant market shifts, including the recent spectrum allocation to the Vietnamese company Viettel, which is set to enter the Dominican market as a new operator.