Telecom Argentina to Transfer Six Million Mobile Users to Metrotel
Telecom Argentina's board accepted Metrotel's offer for roughly six million mobile customers and network assets, valued at US$450 million plus VAT and payable in installments. The sale was required by antitrust authorities as a condition for Telecom's US$1.245 billion purchase of Telefónica's Argentine unit, which operates Movistar. Final contracts and regulatory approval for the radio spectrum transfer are still pending.
Telecom Argentina’s board approved the Metrotel offer on 14 October, according to filings with Argentina’s CNV and the SEC. The buyer is CPS Comunicaciones, which operates as Metrotel. The package includes roughly six million mobile lines, four million in greater Buenos Aires, and 211,400 home internet subscribers across 28 localities in Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Neuquén and Río Negro.
It also covers radio spectrum usage rights, the core network of the Movistar unit, and rights to a fibre-to-the-home network in Buenos Aires city. Payment is US$450 million plus VAT in instalments, with a guaranteed minimum tied to a network-sharing framework. Final contracts and spectrum-transfer clearance remain outstanding.
The transfer may affect millions of mobile and home internet users, especially in greater Buenos Aires and the other listed localities, as their services move to Metrotel. Customers could see changes in billing, plans or network performance during integration. Metrotel’s larger footprint may also shift competitive dynamics in Argentina’s telecom market, potentially influencing prices and service quality. Because final contracts and spectrum approval remain pending, the practical effects for households and businesses may only become clear after regulators complete their review.