In both telecoms and broadcasting services competition has been scant, with each sector dominated by one company. In particular, the privatization of the government telephone operator more than two decades ago transferred exclusive fixed-line rights to one buyer, without adequate regulation favoring serious competition. In the following years, new providers of telecoms services encountered a playing field that was not at all level.
While some price reductions occurred thanks to incipient competition, services remained expensive and their quality low by international standards.