Good practice

CFE Internet para Todos – Free Rural Broadband Hotspots across Mexico

Mexico · Mexico City · See the Mexico profile

CFE TEIT has installed 102,000+ free broadband hotspots across rural Mexico using the Federal Electricity Commission's infrastructure, raising rural internet coverage from 41% (2018) to 66% (2024) per INEGI ENDUTIH and adding 6.7 million rural users.

102,000+

Free broadband hotspots

41% → 66%

Rural internet coverage (2018-2024)

6.7 million

Rural users added

Details

Maturity: Scaling
Promoter: CFE Telecomunicaciones e Internet para Todos (CFE TEIT)
Period: 2019-present
Keywords: Rural communities, low-income households, affordable connectivity, remote areas

Context

CFE Internet para Todos (CFE TEIT) installs free public broadband hotspots across rural Mexico using the Federal Electricity Commission's infrastructure.

Results

It has installed 102,000+ hotspots, raising rural internet coverage from 41% (2018) to 66% (2024) per INEGI ENDUTIH and adding 6.7 million rural users.

Implementation

Implementation detail (cost, timeline, staffing, conditions for success) is not yet available for this practice.

Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

C-NAPSE web research — accessed 2026-06-21
CFE Telecomunicaciones e Internet para Todos (CFE TEIT) — accessed 2026-06-21
Arena Pública – Rural internet reaches 66% citing INEGI ENDUTIH 2023 (independent Mexican press) — accessed 2026-06-21
SES – SES-17 satellite enables free broadband hotspots across Mexico via CFE TEIT (independent) — accessed 2026-06-21

Quality score: 92/100

How is this calculated?

Evidence: Observational / pre–post

Top 6% in this catalogue (573 scored practices)

Scores cluster high, so position within the catalogue is often more telling than the number alone.

Evaluation

Evaluated by C-NAPSE

Score profile — the dimensions behind the score — how it's computed

Innovation level3/5

Novel use of a state electricity utility's nationwide infrastructure — poles, rights of way, transmission towers — as backbone for rural broadband, combining fibre, 4G and satellite in a single mandated programme; a distinctive and documented model for infrastructure-poor regions.

Sustainability (ongoing)1/1

Embedded as a constitutionally mandated state enterprise within CFE since 2019, with dedicated annual funding and integration into the national energy grid operator's operations.

Evaluation evidence1/1

INEGI's independent ENDUTIH 2023 household survey confirms rural penetration rising from 41% to 66% (2018–2024); SES independently corroborates 400 remote villages connected via SES-17 satellite.

Demonstrated reach1/1

17.5 million rural internet users by 2024 (up from 10.8M in 2018), with coverage targeting communities of fewer than 5,000 inhabitants previously unserved by commercial operators.

Documented learning1/1

The CFE utility-infrastructure model has been cited by the ITU and in Latin American broadband policy discussions as a transferable approach for countries with extensive electricity but limited commercial telecom reach.

Cite this

Evidoria. CFE Internet para Todos – Free Rural Broadband Hotspots across Mexico. Persistent ID: d35c86f4-74c8-4d73-a906-5ed4dac6d39c.

Export as decision brief (PDF)

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