Telefonica espanola: The digital reconquest of the Americas.

摘要

The growth of Spanish telecommunications company, Telefonica, into a global group involved in both telecommunications services and media production and distribution with high stakes in Latin America has been possible because of political and economic changes in Spain during the last two decades of the twentieth century. Spain's accession to the European Community in 1986 and full membership in the European Union since 1996, along with economic neo-liberal policies taken place in Europe and in the United States, have influenced the rapid transformation of Telefonica. The company has developed from a semi-public company to a fully private corporation competing worldwide for a leading position in the telecom and media industries. Its entrance into the Latin American market where it operates directly in 16 countries has given the corporation an undeniable strong position as one of the major players in the global telecom and media industries.Drawing on political economy of communication and international communication theories, this study looks at how politics and economics have affected Telefonica's patterns of ownership, structural growth and geographic expansion. Former colonial ties between Spain and Latin America have played a key role in Telefonica's geographic extension, which represents a re-articulation of colonial mercantile practices, albeit with the sophistication of high-end convergent technologies that allow for distribution of data, voice, information and entertainment. In fact, in some countries, Telefonica represents a monopoly in these industries, which can be viewed as dangerous for the further development and strengthening of the economy and democracy in these nations.