The Mexican millionaire Carlos Slim Helú is the main shareholder of the América Móvil communications company. The telecommunications operator sought to improve the mobile coverage of her network in those areas of Latin America that did not reach her current infrastructure, so she thought about building a strategic alliance with Starlink by Elon Musk Starlink for her satellite connection service.
All the negotiation between América Móvil and Starlink was on wheels, until Elon Musk hinted from his X account that Carlos Slim had links with organized crime and drug trafficking. The message about Slim cost 7,000 million to Musk.
Friends are not insult. Mexican businessman Carlos Slim Helú has decided to end his negotiation with Starlink, in which he planned to invest a whopping 7,000 million dollars. This decision was made after Elon Musk gave pábulo from his profile of X to publications that linked the Mexican millionaire with the drug trafficking and organized crime business.
Elon Musk republished, giving veracity to the content about Carlos Slim, the message of a user in which it was stated: “It is known that (Carlos Slim) has important links with drug cartels in Mexico. You cannot become a billonario in Mexico without being part of the network that is controlled and protected.” After these links, Carlos Slim immediately broke the negotiations with Starlink.
Musk loses 7,000 million, Slim invests 22,000 million. Instead of continuing depending on Starlink technology, America Mobile has chosen not to depend on US technology has chosen to invest in its own telecommunications infrastructure.
With the change, the Slim operator has already announced that it will triple the initial figure planned for the alliance with Starlink, investing about 22,000 million dollars, in the next three years. “It is better to put our towers, plant and optical fiber that links them,” said Slim after breaking the negotiations with Musk.
According to what was published by ExpansionDaniel Hajj, CEO of America Mobile, confirmed in the presentation of results of the fourth quarter of 2024 that the company was not in negotiations with Starlink. “We are still reviewing if that service makes sense to us. But, for now, we have no ongoing negotiation with satellite companies,” said Hajj.
Geopolitical strategy. The political change in the US and the constant tariff threats of Trump to Mexico caused the Mexican millionaire to rethink the convenience of allying with an American company for a matter as delicate as it is the network infrastructure of its operator, no matter how much President Claudia Sheinbaum promotes it.
As they point from the Mexico Daily Postit is very likely that this investment will now go to companies from China and Europe. Rumors pointed out that one of the candidates to improve this network infrastructure would be the Telefónica division in Argentina, although America Mobile has not confirmed negotiations between both companies.
“We are always open (…) to the synergies that make sense to us, so we are open to review that, but we have not talked to them and we have nothing right now,” he saidhaha.
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Image | DVIDS (Justin Pacheco), Flickr (Presidency of the Mexican Republic)
