New ministry should simplify sector, says President

TeleGeography, 11 September, 2007

Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa has revealed that his government is planning to create a telecommunications ministry in a bid to simplify decision making and reduce bureaucracy, reports BNamericas. Correa said that the new ministry will be in charge of coordinating and executing all regulatory actions within the telecoms sector, and that the government had already set out the steps needed to create the new body. The main regulatory authority and policy maker for the telecoms sector is Consejo Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (Conatel). A subordinate body, Senatel, executes telecoms policy and enforces the regulator’s actions, whilst another state body, Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (Suptel), is responsible for spectrum monitoring and enforcement, type approval and statistical services, and acts as an overseer of the telecoms and broadcasting sectors.