Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, October 20, 2026 – AT&T agreed October 13 to sell its Mexican mobile business to Televisa and Fintech Holdings for US$2 billion, pending regulatory approval.
According to Televisa’s acquisition announcement, each partner would own half of the purchasing consortium. The business had approximately 24.7 million subscribers at the end of 2025, and the companies expect the transaction to close between January and March 2027.
For Puerto Vallarta residents, the central question is whether new ownership will make one of Telcel’s largest network rivals a stronger competitor on price and service.
The immediate answer for customers is straightforward. In its customer guidance accompanying the announcement, AT&T says, “There are no impacts to your service related to this announcement.” That assurance explicitly includes customers traveling to Mexico from the United States.
That distinction matters here. A resident using a Mexican AT&T line is a customer of the business being sold. Someone visiting with a U.S. AT&T plan has a different contractual relationship, and the announcement does not require either customer to switch providers.
The longer-term outcome depends on how the buyers use the network they are acquiring.
Televisa already operates broadband and television businesses, including Izzi and Sky. Adding AT&T’s mobile infrastructure creates an opportunity to combine home internet, television, and cellphone service. For a household paying those bills separately, a combined package could offer savings or simpler billing. Its value would depend on the actual price, conditions and coverage offered.
Those opportunities come with substantial work. In analyst assessments reported by Reuters, Scotiabank argued that the relatively low purchase price could leave the buyers more money for network investment. UBS highlighted the need to modernize AT&T México’s network, particularly its 5G infrastructure, while generating cash. Santander cautioned that integrating fixed and mobile services could prove challenging.
For customers, that leaves a useful distinction between the purchase itself and improvements delivered afterward. Buying an existing network does not automatically improve reception inside a home, increase a data allowance or reduce the next monthly bill.
AT&T’s stated reason for selling is its decision to concentrate capital on U.S. fiber and wireless networks. Its announcement describes the transaction as part of that investment strategy, rather than announcing an end to the Mexican network’s operations.
The financial picture also needs a closer look than the claim that AT&T had finally become profitable.
Televisa’s detailed transaction filing reports that AT&T México generated about 85.4 billion pesos in revenue and 1.37 billion pesos in operating income during 2025. It nevertheless recorded a consolidated net loss of approximately 1.43 billion pesos.
Operating income measures the result from running the business before financing, taxes, and other items that affect the final result. The figures show an improvement in operations, alongside continuing losses at the bottom of the accounts.
The same filing says the buyers plan financing facilities of up to US$1.4 billion, including a US$200 million revolving credit line. Their challenge will be to support network investment while meeting the business’s financial obligations.
That challenge follows more than a decade of AT&T investment in Mexico.
Vallarta Daily reported the announced US$2.5 billion Iusacell purchase in November 2014. AT&T subsequently added Nextel México, whose seller announced a US$1.875 billion agreement, less outstanding net debt at closing.
The acquisitions followed Mexico’s 2013 telecommunications reform, which sought to encourage competition in a market dominated by América Móvil. They gave AT&T existing customers, spectrum rights, and infrastructure to build a larger rival.
Telcel’s advantage remains substantial. In the telecommunications regulator’s third-quarter 2025 report, Telcel accounted for 57.9% of active mobile voice lines, compared with AT&T’s 16.4%. Movistar held 14%, and Walmart’s Bait had 7%, under the regulator’s definition of an active line.
Those figures also show why describing the consumer market as a simple duopoly misses part of the story. Customers can choose among several brands, while the infrastructure supporting those services is more concentrated.
Altán Redes supplies wholesale mobile service, with retail offers sold through virtual operators, including Bait. These companies can compete for customers without each building a separate nationwide radio network. AT&T’s importance lies partly in owning and operating another large network alongside Telcel.
Maintaining that infrastructure is expensive. In a 2023 assessment of spectrum costs, the former Federal Telecommunications Institute warned that high charges for the radio frequencies carrying mobile service created barriers to entry and expansion, particularly for smaller operators. Those costs help explain the difficulty of turning customer growth into sustainable returns.
The sale will also receive scrutiny over competition. President Claudia Sheinbaum said October 15 that authorities must examine the transaction, emphasizing investment, competition, and better internet service. The review involves businesses already selling mobile, broadband and television services.
The announcements provide no Puerto Vallarta-specific network upgrade timetable or new customer tariff schedule. For a resident making the next prepaid recharge, AT&T’s current assurance means the existing line can continue to be used while the companies seek approval for the transfer.