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Héctor Olavarría

Chair of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL)

Mr. Héctor Olavarría was appointed Chair of CITEL’s Permanent Executive Committee (COM/CITEL) for the period 2010-2014 by the V Ordinary Session of the Assembly, celebrated in March, 2010. With more than thirteen years of experience in Mexico’s federal public administration, Mr. Olavarría has a highly distinguished record of public service, specializing in the field of telecommunications.

A lawyer by profession, Mr. Olavarría holds a Master’s degree in Economic International Law (2000) from Warwick University, United Kingdom. From February, 2009 to June, 2011 he served as General Director of Telecommunications and Broadcasting Policy at the Mexican Ministry of Communications and Transportation. On June 24, 2011, he was appointed Under Secretary of Communications. During his tenure, he has put special emphasis on the importance of international coordination for the development of the telecommunications sector, enhancing programs like the Mesoamerican Project. He has also coordinated and defended Mexico’s telecommunications policy in forums such as the International Telecommunication Union Plenipotentiary Conference, the World Policy Telecommunication Forum, the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the High Level Consultative Commission on Telecommunications Mexico-United States.

On the national level, Mr. Olavarría has focused on developing programs to ensure that telecommunication services are adequately provided throughout the Mexican territory by designing projects for social coverage; strengthening relations with the Legislative, Judicial and Executive powers to execute social programs; making the existing capacity in the Mexican electric network available to data transport services’ providers, and administering the Trust Fund for Social Coverage of Telecommunications, among others.

In his view, CITEL represents the ideal forum to address the relevant and forefront issues on telecommunications, as well as to exchange information on telecommunications regulatory and policy experiences. As Chair of COM/CITEL, Mr. Olavarría expects to strengthen CITEL as an international coordination mechanism for the development of the telecommunication sector in the region.