Telecom Argentina to sell 6 million mobile users to Metrotel

Telecom Argentina has agreed to a US$450 million deal to transfer approximately 6 million mobile phone accounts and over 200,000 fixed broadband subscriptions to Metrotel. This divestment is a condition imposed by national competition authorities to prevent market monopolization following Telecom's acquisition of Telefónica Argentina.

Under the agreement, the transferred customers will transition to operating under the Tuenti brand, which Metrotel will use to enter the mass consumer market. Users remaining within the Telecom structure will continue their services under the Personal brand. The transition will be implemented gradually, with customers receiving prior notification from Movistar and subsequently from Tuenti.

The transaction includes the transfer of key assets, such as radio spectrum usage rights and necessary infrastructure, to ensure service continuity. The regulatory intervention aims to maintain a strong third competitor in the market against dominant players Personal and Claro.