Mexico: What is Altán Redes and How Does it Work?

Altán Redes is making a change in the telephone connection procedure by deleting a requirement that complicated user registration and clarifying how select operators must accomplish it.

Altán Redes is one business that has emerged as a key player in Mexico‘s telecommunications industry.

The organisation runs the Shared Network, which serves as the infrastructure for various mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). These firms provide phone and internet services without having their own network. Among the most well-known examples are Walmart’s Bait and CFE Internet, which have helped to drive the country’s recent increase in mobile phone lines.

As a result, Altán has emerged as a prominent actor in the federal government’s mobile line registration process, which aims to link each phone number to its CURP and owner’s identification.

In this context, the company recently modified one of its registration rules : it will allow some virtual operators to waive the requirement for biometric data from users to complete the process. Here’s what changed and who it applies to.

What is Altán Redes, and how does it work?

Altán Redes is the company in charge of operating the Shared Network, the wholesale mobile network promoted by the Mexican State to expand access to internet and telephone services in the country.

Its main objective is to bring connectivity to areas where traditional operators have little or no coverage and, at the same time, to foster greater competition in the telecommunications market .

The company has become a key player in the sector, as several mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) operate on its infrastructure, offering telephone and internet services without having their own network.

Who owns Altán Redes?

Altán Redes’ current primary stakeholder is the Mexican state.

The federal government took over the corporation in June 2022 after it ran into financial difficulties as a result of loans made by previous administrations. Following this arrangement, the State took over the operation and administration of the enterprise.

Following a merger of assets with the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) approved by the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT), the government gained nearly complete control of the network infrastructure.

How does Altán Redes works?

Unlike Telcel or AT&T, Altán Redes does not offer services directly to the public. It operates as a wholesaler.

This implies that they license out their telecommunications infrastructure to other firms, who then provide mobile services to customers.

Its clientele include various mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). The most notable example is Walmart’s Bait, which already has over 26 million lines. The network is also utilised by organisations affiliated with the Mexican Association of Alternative and Community Mobile Virtual Network Operators (AMOMVAC) and indigenous telecommunications initiatives.

This approach allows enterprises without their own infrastructure to enter the market and offer telephone services, resulting in the introduction of lower-cost mobile plans and extended coverage in various parts of the nation.

In business terms, Altán Redes generated sales of 9,151.8 million pesos in 2024, mostly from the leasing of network capacity to operators and mobile virtual network operators that link their consumers through its infrastructure.

Expansión’s 2025 rating of Mexico’s 500 most significant firms places the company at 342nd.

In recent months, the business has also changed some of its procedures to make it easier to register cell phone lines with the operators that utilise its network. The most recent adjustments include the loosening of several constraints in the process of connecting lines to users’ identities.

Altán Redes has streamlined the mobile line registration process. The primary change is the removal of the “proof of life” requirement, which formerly required users to take a photo of their face in order to authenticate their identification using biometric data.

This was one of the most difficult steps in the process, since it frequently failed or was not completed correctly, prompting customers to leave their registration.

Customers of mobile virtual network operators that use the Altán network will no longer be required to supply biometrics under the new initiative, which intends to connect millions of lines ahead of schedule.

However, this approach will not be applicable to all operators. This rule will not apply to MVNOs having physical shopfronts or customer service centers where registration may be completed in person.

This advantages firms with a physical presence, such as Bait, but many online-only MVNOs will have to stick with the traditional procedure.