Mexico power co. to lease fiber capacity

Mexico's main state-owned electric utility said it will begin selling telecommunications capacity on its fiber-optic network in November.

In a press release issued Monday, the Federal Electricity Commission said it is ready to offer service as a "carrier of carriers," but won't be providing so-called last-mile connections or offering telephony, video or Internet service.

The commission said it has 13,300 miles of fiber-optic cable installed along its transmission grid, and will make capacity available to telecommunications companies on nondiscriminatory terms.

The company said interest in leasing capacity has been shown by cable TV operators, the Communications and Transport Ministry and the state oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos, among others.

The opening of the commission's network comes as cable companies are starting to offer "triple play" services in Mexico — combining phone, Internet and video. The country's biggest fixed-line phone company, Telefonos de Mexico, plans to start selling video in 2008.