page_title: ENTel
section_title: Privatization
hierarchical_section_title: ENTel / Privatization
caption_attribution_description: English: Fixed phone subscriptions per 100 people in Argentina. From 1975 to 1999. Español: Líneas telefónicas fijas cada 100 habitantes en Argentina. Desde 1975 a 1999.
context_page_description: The Empresa Nacional de Telecomunicaciones was an Argentine state owned company which had the monopoly on public telecommunications in the country until its privatization in 1990.
context_section_description: ENTel was privatised by being split into two companies: Sociedad Licenciataria Norte S.A. and Sociedad Licenciataria Sur S.A.. These, in turn, were sold to France Télécom and Telefónica de España (both State enterprises themselves, at the time) during a 1990 bidding process presided over by Menem's appointed receiver, María Julia Alsogaray. Upon their transfer, these entities became known as Telecom Argentina and Telefónica de Argentina, respectively. The total value of the sale reached US$7.3 billion, and included the retirement of US$5 billion in foreign debt.
  Purchasing a divided national phone market along roughly equal sides of a north-south line, each company was given an initial, 7 year monopoly beginning November 8, 1990. At the same time, other companies were given exclusive licences for international long distance, telex and cellular phone service. ENTel remained in existence for a number of years as a residuary body, running off existing contracts and completing the details of its sale.
caption: Fixed phone subscriptions per 100 people between 1975 and 1999. The orange line indicates the privatization of ENTel.
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