Antonio García Vidal, re -elected president of Aotec

The employer of Teleco SMEs will reinforce its institutional action and will be enhanced by the incorporation of professionals.

Antonio García Vidal It has been re -elected by acclamation president of the employer of the telecommunications SMEs, AOTEC, for a second mandate, in which it will be accompanied by a directive reinforced by two new members and where challenges such as cybersecurity or technological changes associated with 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT) or artificial intelligence will be faced.

García Vidal (Ilorci TV), who will be in charge of the National Association of Local Telecommunications Operators During the next three years, he has expressed his gratitude to the associates, since his decision refers the work done by the board throughout the latter triennium.

The Board of Directors of AOTEC has expanded on this occasion with two new members and becomes made up of nine members: Diego Soriano (Telecallosa); María Jesús Cauhe (Inger TV); Francisco José Bueno (Avatel); Enrique Miguel Pastor (Horadada TV); Juan Francisco Zambudio (Cablemurcia); Juan Antonio Rodríguez Moreno (Visio-Vision) and Alberto Guerrero (Charrytv); to those who also incorporate Luis Abenza (Excom) and Antonio del Valle (Radiokable).

García Vidal has assured that he faces this new stage “with redoubled encouragement and the same illusion as the first day, convinced that the sum of local operators implies a percentage of networks and subscribers to take into account in the telecommunications sector, and especially important in rural areas. Companies that invest more than 760 million euros every year, which will continue to expand, exert brave generating wealth. ”

In recent years, the role of the local operator has been valued as a “activator of the digital economy, because the creation of broadband Internet access infrastructures is a key element to achieve the competitiveness of the territories in the new digital economy and prevent them from emptying or becoming‘ digital poor ’, or what is the same, areas without future”.

In addition, these companies, of which there are almost 800 in Spain, have been visible as employment generators the rural world through a study on the sector, which indicates that SMEs are responsible for more than 6,000 direct jobs that settle the population in the areas where they provide their services with qualified jobs.

As for the future, García Vidal claims the important role that the local operator can play when it comes to quickly expanding the new 5G technology to rural areas, as they have already done with fiber optic networks (FTTH). And also their capacity as a trainer and enhancer of ICT in companies, with the collaboration of engineers, with the aim of promoting digital transformation.

In this new stage, priorities go through the growth of the association in number of companies, as well as to incorporate tools, methodology and talent that promote their effectiveness.

It is also considered essential to continue consolidating collaboration networks with different entities in the field of telecommunications and the digital economy with which to generate synergies. AOTEC will continue to exercise as the spokesman for the sector before the Spanish administrations, especially before the Central Government and the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC), in defense of the interests of SMEs.

Another objective is the incorporation into its structure of new professionals who contribute to increasing the efficiency of SMEs in a highly competitive sector and in continuous technological evolution such as telecommunications.