Telmex entry in TV market possible this year: regulator

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Telmex's long awaited debut in the television market could happen this year, according to the head of Mexico's telecommunications watchdog.

"It is possible and desirable," Mony de Swaan, head of Cofetel, told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.

"At a government level, we cannot continue talking about (telecom services') convergence while we impose artificial barriers" to players, he said.

Telmex, which controls about 80 percent of Mexico's fixed phone lines, is seeking government approval to add television services to its telecom offerings.

Authorities have asked Telmex to cut the rates it charges to other phone operators for using its massive transmission network as a condition for allowing the company to move into television.

(Reporting by Cyntia Barrera Diaz; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)