Tuesday, April 26, 2005
I have just come across an interesting article on how Telmex is blocking VoIP traffic (for example to foreign IP telephony service providers like Vonage or Skype). As you may know, Telmex is the main fixed telephony carrier in Mexico and one of Latin America’s most profitable company thanks to a 98 percent hold on the last mile infrastructure.
Late 2004 in a landmark action, COFETEL (the Mexican FCC) closed down 13 VoIP companies who were operating without a proper carrier license. Mexico belongs to the select group of world countries that ban the use of VoIP to protect some de-facto monopolies, like in Panama and in Costa Rica. Carlos Slim certainly won’t object to the COFETEL’s wise decisions on that topic.
But what’s all the fuss about? Well, VoIP is a technology that allows anyone with a computer or an inexpensive analog telephone adapter to make really cheap phone calls over the Internet. Telmex’ dilemma is clearly shown in their quarterly results: how to avoid having their fast-growing broadband Internet service Infinitum mercilessly cannibalize their Pesos $6800 million per quarter domestic and international long distance telephony cash-cow.
Telmex’ reputation as a dirty player is so bad that nobody was surprised earlier this month to hear reports that access to Vonage from regions like Baja California had become virtually impossible. Rumors spread like wildfire that Telmex was actively barring Infinitum users from using any VoIP provider that could save them a few bucks on their calls to the US. I can picture Telmex network engineers devising Machiavellian schemes to garble the voice conversation between American grannies retired under the sun of Mexico and their grand-daughters in Oklahoma or Arkansas!
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Posted by Serge @ 12:22 AM MEX [Link]
Friday, April 8, 2005
A new reader of my blog asked me an interesting question about the ecology in Mexico City. What ecology? I’m tempted to ask. For starters, the Mexican capital enjoys the dubious privilege to be the world’s most polluted major city according to the Guinness World Records.
For example, the Metropolitan Air Quality Index (IMECA) defines ozone levels of 0-100 to be satisfactory, while increasing values up to a maximum of 300 can lead to eye and respiratory system irritation. Today’s readings on the SIMA Web site showed ozone levels in excess of 160 units. Alarmingly, this is air contamination as usual in the Valle de Mexico: I doubt that any of the 150,000 protesters chanting slogans against the lifting of AMLO’s immunity in the Zocalo noticed the toxic haze above their heads.
Unavoidably, first time travelers to Mexico City report eye irritation and breathing problems, the latter being also an effect of the high altitude (around 2400 meters above sea level for the downtown area). During 1998, I worked in the industrial area of Tlalnepantla and I was convinced that a cheese factory (camembert-style) was clandestinely operating next to the office, before being told that the strange smell was nothing more than pollution. A common joke amongst residents is that breathing air here is like smoking 2-3 packs of cigarettes a day (which may explain why “no smoking” signs are so seldom seen anywhere).
Water has nothing to envy to the ambient atmosphere, the notorious secondary effects of drinking unpurified water has led to the coining of a popular expression: Moctezuma’s Revenge. An extended stay in your bathroom is as unavoidable on your first visit as having red eyes (make sure you stock up with magazines and toilet paper). Most luxury hotels offer bottled water to brush your teeth, which I believe is pushing paranoia a little too far.
As if this wasn’t enough, there are exotic pests that will send shivers running down your spine! Behold this story: I was peacefully watching TV one evening, when I heard a suspicious faint noise in the corridor. Everything was dark, and I walked cautiously (bare footed) towards the mysterious sound. Turning on the lights, I came “face-to-stinger” with a cute little scorpion! Feeling no remorse for this not-so-endangered species, I swiftly dispatched it to the paradise of arachnids with a sweeping smash from my mountain boot. This uninvited guest had come from a neighboring construction site to meet its destiny.
Beyond these anecdotes, Mexico City’s is an ecological disaster waiting to blow in the face of its leaders, putting in jeopardy the health of millions of people.
Posted by Serge @ 12:01 AM MEX [Link]
Monday, April 4, 2005
What is the cost of housing in Mexico City? To answer this question, let’s use a top-down approach. Firstly, it is worth considering that the Mexican capital was ranked 87th in the latest Mercer Worldwide Quality of Life Survey, slightly worse than Athens (83rd) and a little better than Atlanta (90th). Hence Mexico City is not a catastrophically bad option for expatriate living, with a quality of life higher than any South American city.
Naturally, such positive facts come at the expense of a higher cost of living. In 2004, the Mercer Cost of Living Survey found Mexico City to be the second most expensive place to live in Latin America (just behind San Juan, Puerto Rico), ranking 84 in the world.
Expatriates in Mexico City tend to live in areas (called “Colonias”) such as trendy Polanco, Condesa or Roma, while executives often migrate up the hills on the West of the city to Lomas de Chapultepec, Bosques de las Lomas or Santa Fe. A few adventurous foreigners wanting to get an authentic taste of the Mexican way of life settle in poetically named areas like Cuajimalpa, Narvarte, Tabacalera, etc.
To find your dream apartment or house you can rely on friends’ advice, newspapers or Web sites. I personally favour the latter option since many newspapers post their ads for free online. Be aware that the real-estate ads are generally published only once a week, so don’t miss that issue and act promptly: the best homes will disappear faster than a car parked in the Colonia Doctores. You can consult the following Web sites (all in Spanish) in your search:
You will find hundreds of housings options in these sites, with rental prices ranging from Pesos $2500 for a cockroach training center near Taxquena to well over Pesos $30000 for a drug lord villa in Bosques de las Lomas. In my experience, if you want to live in a 2-3 bedroom unfurnished apartment or house located in a good area, you should expect to pay around Pesos $14000 to Pesos $22000 per month (plus utility bills and maintenance).
Finding your nest in the capital is only the first hurdle in a long and painful process that involves visits, negotiations and contractual hassles. Renting a home in Mexico is not for the faint-hearted: you will quickly become familiar with strange terms like “fianza”, “fiador”, etc. Be sure to prepare yourself by reading one of the articles featured, for example, on the Metros Cubicos Web site.
On the bright side, your monthly rent is likely to be the highest recurrent expense you have to consider while living in Mexico City. Most other costs are very reasonable compared to Western Europe, except if you are a Parmiggiano Reggiano addict like I am!
