In a move that signals a major shift in Mexican telecommunications, Grupo Televisa has officially cast its lot with Elon Musk. Through its subsidiary Bestel, the media giant has signed a commercial agreement with Starlink to become a reseller of its satellite services, specifically targeting the business sector.
This is not a deal about connecting homes in Mexico City. Instead, it focuses on the “Direct to Device” connectivity model. This technology allows standard mobile phones and Internet of Things devices to connect directly to low-orbit satellites without needing ground towers. For the first time, a major Mexican conglomerate can offer clients the ability to make calls or send data from the middle of the Sonoran Desert, the mountains of Chihuahua, or maritime zones without installing a single physical pole.
For Bestel, which built its reputation on a vast fiber optic network and manages Sky’s satellite services, the logic is purely economic. Federico Garcés, Bestel’s Deputy Director of Enterprise Products, stated that the goal is to ensure business continuity where traditional infrastructure is limited. The deal allows Televisa to bypass the brutal costs of “last mile” implementation. In the telecom industry, the last mile is the most expensive part of connectivity. By utilizing Starlink, Bestel can now offer immediate coverage to mining companies, logistics firms, and government offices without digging trenches or stringing cable across difficult terrain.
The Hybrid Network Effect
The strategy Televisa is pursuing is integration rather than replacement. Bestel is not abandoning its fiber; it is augmenting it. The company is now selling “hybrid architectures” where a business might use Bestel’s fiber for daily heavy lifting but switch to Starlink for redundancy or to connect a remote warehouse. This makes the company a one-stop shop for connectivity, solving the problem of the “last mile” by eliminating the mile entirely.
The “last mile problem” refers to the high cost and logistical difficulty of connecting a physical fiber optic cable or cell tower directly to a business or home located in a remote area. Building infrastructure across deserts, mountains, or national parks is often economically unviable. Starlink solves this by bypassing physical construction entirely, using satellites to deliver connectivity directly to the customer’s location.
This move puts Bestel in a competitive race with other local players who have already recognized Starlink’s dominance. Globalsat, another Mexican satellite firm, also decided to resell Starlink services to stay relevant. However, Televisa’s scale changes the equation. With a sales force already embedded in the corporate world and a massive existing client base, Televisa can accelerate the adoption of satellite technology much faster than smaller niche players.
The Shifting Power Dynamic
The agreement alters the landscape for Mexico’s telecommunications industry in two specific ways. First, it solidifies Starlink’s victory in the government procurement space. Under the administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the state-owned CFE Telecomunicaciones awarded Starlink contracts worth up to 1.556 billion pesos to bring internet to underserved areas. Now, with Televisa acting as a private sector arm, Starlink’s footprint will expand beyond state-led initiatives into the profitable private sector.
Second, it forces traditional carriers to compete against the sky. Currently, Starlink claims a user base of approximately 160,000 in Mexico, a number that is likely to explode following this alliance. For existing incumbent operators, the threat is no longer just about remote villages; it is about losing high-value corporate accounts. A bank with branches in rural areas, a logistics fleet, or a construction firm can now bypass traditional telcos entirely and buy a seamless fiber-satellite package from Televisa.
However, the deal is not without challenges. Previous government contracts between Mexican entities and Starlink have faced scrutiny. In 2025, the Superior Audit of the Federation discovered that nearly 40% of Starlink services installed for the CFE were out of service or pending activation. While Bestel claims it will offer superior integration and support, the alliance highlights a dependency on a foreign provider whose constellation, while vast, is controlled entirely by Musk. As of 2026, Starlink operates over 10,000 active satellites, representing more than 60% of the global active fleet.