FREE TRADE CALLING.

Is your country ready for free trade? A clear dial tone might be a good sign. Latin America's biggest firms have already made forays into neighboring markets to prepare for an onslaught of multinational competitors. But pan-regional infrastructure has never been the focus of Latin American telecom monopolies--just try making a static-free phone call from Caracas to Mexico City, or from Sao Paulo to Lima. Growth is across borders, not in regulated local markets. Connecting far-flung business units is essential to regional strategies. Take Central America. "There's a real opportunity here for someone who sees the region as a whole," says Vincent Renner, CEO of Newcom, a Washington, D.C.-based fixed wireless broadband company. A static-free phone call launched trade talks between the United States and phone liberalization pioneer Chile, says John O'Leary, outgoing U.S. ambassador to Chile. The United States and Chile set year-end as their goal for a deal, and talks with Mercosur are cranking up, too. A Free Trad e Area of the Americas deal by 2005? "People are beginning to realize we're going to have an agreement this year," says O'Leary. "The 2005 goal is also real." Try this simple test. Call the White House yourself. The number is [1] [phone]. If you immediately get the switchboard, your country is likely on track.