The telecommunications market in the Dominican Republic has experienced steady growth since its re-inception based upon the current General Law on Telecommunications No. 153-98 as of May 27, 1998 (hereinafter, "Law 153-98") which laid the foundation for its entry into a modern legal framework encompassing, among others, the regulation of (a) the services relationship between end users and telecom services providers due to the technological development arisen from the expansion of the sector in the 1980s and 1990s to impact the socioeconomic growth of the country, (b) the competition among players of the market introducing the principle of free and fair competition and sanctioning those practices considered restrictive to free and fair competition; (c) participation of the private sector to provide efficient, modern and affordable telecommunications services for end users; and, (d) the guarantee of universal service promoted by the international organizations in which the country was a member.

In 2024, Dominican Republic was positioned in the top spot in Latin America and the Caribbean and ranked fourth globally in the ICT Regulatory Tracker which is a tool developed by the International Telecommunications Union ("ITU") to help regulators as well as decision-makers being aware of the legal and regulatory evolution of Information and Communication Technology ("ICT") not by measuring its quality, the level of implementation or the performance of regulatory frameworks in place but it records their existence and characteristics tracking the progress and identifying gaps in such regulatory frameworks that justify further regulatory reform in order to achieve a more dynamic and comprehensive sector. It covers approximately 190 to 194 countries and economies over the period from 2007 to 2024. The tracker analyzes 50 indicators grouped into four fundamental pillars: Regulatory Authority, Regulatory Mandates, Regulatory Regime, and Competition Framework.

The score obtained by the Dominican Republic places the country in the highest regulatory maturity category (Generation 4 or G4, which is part of the model developed by ITU to assess regulatory evolution), characterized by a high level or regulatory maturity, which positions the Dominican Republic in Latin America and the Caribbean Region as the leader in digital regulatory development. As per INDOTEL’s publication on its webpage said score is consistent with the goals established by the Digital Agenda 2030 for the development of the ICT sector towards a digital economy, which is overseen by the Digital Transformation Cabinet created by Presidential Decree No. 71-21.

Recent initiatives and/or regulations implemented by INDOTEL, include among others, improving connectivity to provide suitable conditions for rural and semi-urban zones to effective access to telecommunications services through installation of telecommunications infrastructure such as optic fibers; establishing minimum speed standards for broadband as a manner to promote new investments in quality service; deployment of 5G networks and measurement of quality in data mobile services, voice and text messaging.

Currently, market growth is due mainly to the increase in data consumption and digitalization, as well as the expansion of infrastructure. During recent years, the market has shown major growth in mobile services, both telephone lines and internet, while a major decrease in fixed telephone lines is evidenced in the INDOTEL Quarterly Report.

Nowadays, the market serves approximately 10,840,000 end users for mobile services, while the penetration of fixed telephone lines amounts to nearly 11% of those using mobile services.

The main players in the market are as follows:

• Claro Dominicana (owned by America Movil): which is the leader in fixed telephone lines and mobile services, both in urban and rural zones. It also offers fixed broadband and Pay TV. 
• Altice Dominicana: which is the second largest in the country. It offers fixed telephone lines, mobile services, fixed broadband and Pay TV.
• Viva Dominicana: which is the third operator in the mobile services market. It also offers fixed telephone lines, mobile internet and Pay TV.  

As per the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic report on Preliminary Outcome of Dominican economy for the period January-June 2025 the telecommunications sector presented an interannual variation of 0.4% in the aggregate value generated during the first semester linked to the increase of fixed lines (8.6%) as well as to more traffic in internet services (5.5%) and mobile services (3.1%). At the same time, in real terms, there was a decrease in the revenues for sales of telecommunications services in comparison to the same period in 2024. 

The level of penetration of different services is the following, as per the Quarterly Report published by INDOTEL:

• Level of penetration of different services
• Type of services Number of subscriptions Traffic Revenues 
• Fixed Telephone lines 1,179,498
• IP: 57%
• IP Residential: 85%
• IP Nonresidential: 15%
• Traditional: 43%
• Traditional residential: 52%
• Traditional Nonresidential: 48% 301,713,745 (minutes) USD$21,763,120.96
• Mobile: 10,840,170
• Prepaid: 75%
• Prepaid Nonresidential: 14%
• Prepaid residential:  61%
• Postpaid: 24%
• Postpaid Nonresidential: 7%
• Postpaid residential: 17% 1,230,581,506 (minutes) USD$112,352,315.00
• Fixed Internet 1,327,196
• Nonresidential: 11.58%
• Residential: 88.42%
• Broadband: 63.35%
• Broadband Nonresidential: 90.5%
• Broadband Residential: 9.5% 1,880,214,863 (GB) USD$169,790,236.00
• Mobile Internet: 10,001,622
• Broadband: 92.62%
• Broadband Nonresidential: 66.54%
• Broadband residential: 33.46% 745,409,669 (GB) USD$236,470,173.15
• Pay-per-view TV: 584,537
• Nonresidential: 5.24%
• Residential: 94.76%
• By technology:
• IPTV 47.29%
• Cable 30.05% 
• Satellite or wireless 22.66% N/A USD$56,153,949.84

The top 2 operators, that is, Claro Dominicana and Altice Dominicana, control more than 80% of the industry.

There are other minor players such as Wind Telecom which provides mobile services, broadband, mobile internet and Pay TV; OneMax which provides broadband, VOIP; as well as Liberty Networks Dominicana (former Columbus Networks Dominicana) which besides its carrier services to local carriers, provides end users telecommunications services such as broadband and VOIP; additionally, emerging Starlink Dominican Republic that provides satellite internet access.

As per INDOTEL information, there are currently 22 carriers authorized for telephone line services, while for internet, there are 33; and for Pay TV, 42. It is important to note that not all internet and Pay TV carriers provide services in a national capacity, but certain ones are granted authorization for local or regional services. Claro Dominicana, with approximately 6.8 million mobile subscribers as of March 2025, has around 62% of said market. While Altice Dominicana holds about 3.65 million mobile subscribers, for 33%. 

As per INDOTEL publications, the Dominican Republic has positioned itself among regional leaders in terms of digital regulations and early adoption of advanced technologies. As previously indicated, the country reached the first position under the ICT Regulatory Tracker of ITU in Latin America and the Caribbean region due to the modern regulations supported by INDOTEL.

The 2030 Digital Agenda, an official strategy of the Dominican government, defines 5 key pillars: Connectivity, Digital Education, Digital Government, Digital Economy, innovation and Cybersecurity. 

The Country Commercial Guide of the Trade Department of the United States of America indicated that the ICT industry in the Dominican Republic shows significant growth and opportunities in areas such as cloud storage, Big Data and IoT. However, the use of digital technologies among the public is still limited and the lack of trust in cloud storage remains.

The specialized portal Tech Behemoths reports that the three main telecom carriers announced investments for approximately US$283,822,138 in digital infrastructure, besides more than 22 local telecom carriers also offering more than 30 technology services. However, the ecosystem faces challenges such as limited historic experience, talent gaps and a developing reputation.

As per Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo ("INTEC") publication, the Dominican Republic was the third country in Latin America implementing 5G technology and the first in Central America, being Claro Dominicana the first operator in displaying it. Other challenges for the telecom sector are the high cost of appliances, radio bases, energy consumption and the need to extend fiber optics.

As published by INDOTEL, it has played a key role in reducing the digital gap through free access to the Internet, the creation of Community Technology Centers and support to public schools and digital libraries, by promoting entrepreneurship, digital education through workshops, academic alliances and online platforms. 

Among current trends, data and internet services dominate, 46.3% of the market in 2024, growing propelled by smartphone adoption, video streaming, and the shift from traditional voice to IP-based communications. Consumer segment equals 81% of revenues. Among key recent developments you may find INDOTEL Resolution increasing minimum standard for broadband speed of 30 Mbps download and 10 upload, 5G spectrum auctions from prior years enabling rollouts, International Funding Loan IBD for US$115 million for supports rural broadband while the Dominican Electric Transmission Enterprise ("ETED" by its acronym in Spanish language), the national electric distributor is extending its fiber network for connectivity improvement in municipalities where currently there is not stable signals, or it is weak, particularly, alongside main highways all over the country.

Broader 2025 global trends like AI Integration and sustainable networks are influencing, as well as IoT and tourism-related roaming. The top communications app in Q3 2025 reflects strong mobile reliance with varying trends in downloads and engagement.

Other challenges in the telecom sector are (a) the affordability average broadband cost, while households citing expense as a barrier to connect through said technology, (b) power-grid volatility, (c) currency instability, (d) high deployment costs in rural areas; (e ) restricted competitions: with higher prices and lengthier innovation while spectrum duty and competition from satellite like Starlink are adding pressure to the market players; and, (f) telecom sector maturation phase limits the explosive growth putting focus on value added services and efficiency. 

The main law governing telecommunications in the Dominican Republic is the General Law on Telecommunications No. 153-98 as of May 27, 1998 (hereinafter, "Law 153-98") and several Rules for Application of the law in different areas, as well as Complementary Norms, and Resolutions of the INDOTEL Board of Directors.

Among the numerous General Rules for Application of Law 153-98, you may find (in chronological order) the following:

1. AM, FM and TV Broadcasting Service (by separate instruments); 
2. Installation and use of common telecommunications infrastructure in co-owned properties. 
3. Free and fair competition in the telecommunications sector.
4. Services’ Rates and Costs. 
5. Disputes between telecommunications service providers. 
6. Interconnection.
7. Number Portability. 
8. Rights and Obligations of end users and carriers.
9. Administrative Sanctioning Procedure.
10. Passive Telecom Infrastructure and Connected Facilities Sharing. 
11. INDOTEL Authorizations for providing telecom services.
12. Internet Access Services. 
13. Use of Spectrum. 
14. Telephone Services. 
15. Digital Terrestrial TV ("DTT").
16. Cybersecurity in the rendering of internet access services.
17. Pay TV. 
18. Roaming. 
19. Resale of telecom services; and,
20. Board of Directors’ Resolution recommending standardization of administrative procedures by the local administration (i.e., City Halls) for the installation and dismantling of telecommunications infrastructure on public property.
21. The authority regulating the telecommunications sector is the Instituto Dominicano de las Telecomunicaciones ("INDOTEL") aimed to promoting the development of telecommunications implementing the universal service principle; guaranteeing a fair, sustainable and effective competition in the sector; defending and turning effective the clients, users and carriers rights,  assuring the compliance with their respective obligations and sanctioning their incompliance; and, surveilling the efficient use of the spectrum. 

Other laws regulating telecommunications are the Law on Cybercrime, Anti-money laundering Law, Spam Law and Personal Data Protection Law.

Internet Access, Data Transmission and Pay TV: To provide services for end users for internet access, data transmission and Pay TV, a concession granted by INDOTEL is the sole authorization, except in case they may require a license for the use of spectrum. To obtain the concession, they must be incorporated under Dominican laws with no requirements on the composition of the company capital in terms of nationality. For the process of obtaining the concession, the applicant must file legal, technical and economic information as established by the Authorizations Rules. The duration of the concession shall vary depending upon the term required by the applicant, from five (5) to twenty (20) years.  

Mobile Telephony: To provide mobile telephony, a concession must be obtained along with a license for the use of the spectrum. INDOTEL calls for public auctions for grantingthe use of the spectrum. The documentation, requirements and duration of the license are linked to those of the concession, including their renewals.

Mobile Virtual Network Operators ("MVNOs"): MVNOs require registration in INDOTEL Special Records. Said authorization does not require incorporation under Dominican laws.

To be registered in the INDOTEL Special records, among legal documents to be filed, you may find the services/resale agreement with a telecom carrier duly authorized to provide final services to end users.

This authorization is submitted to fewer requirements than those of the concession and the license. For example, this registration is granted by the INDOTEL Executive Director, while the concessions and licenses are granted by the INDOTEL Board of Directors; also, it can be obtained through a branch, while a company incorporated under local laws or a branch domiciled locally is only required for value-added services.  It is important to note that in certain scenarios, this Special Registration may entail a license, in which case, the authorization must be granted bythe INDOTEL Board of Directors.  

The duration of the registration in Special Records may be granted up to ten (10) years. When the registration is linked to a concession, its duration shall be that of the concession. Renewals will be granted for the same original period. 

For obtaining radio broadcasting authorization, the control of the applicant entity must be composed of Dominican citizens or foreigners who have obtained Dominican nationality.  

Service prices are freely determined by the telecom services. However, INDOTEL is legally entitled to determine, through a justified resolution, in a specific case, that there are not sufficient conditions in the market service to assure effective and sustainable competition due to the existence of competition-restrictive practices. Exceptionally and solely in that scenario, INDOTEL shall proceed to regulate prices. 

INDOTEL must authorize transfer, assignment, lease, right of use, registration of an encumbrance or transfer of control or any other transaction that may imply the seller’s (or assignor) loss or possibility of loss of social control, or the possibility of forming the social will of the holder of the authorization.

The body (that is, INDOTEL Board of Directors or INDOTEL Executive Director) that granted the original authorization is competent to approve any changes taking place in reference to said authorization.

The purchaser/assignee/creditor must comply with the same requirements set forth for the original applicant in terms of legal, technical and economic documentation. 

Among the elements to be considered by INDOTEL to grant said authorizations, you may find that the transaction complies with the Free and Fair Competition Rules. 

Proceeding with any of these transactions without INDOTEL's previous authorization will not be valid against said telecom regulator, which may impose the corresponding sanctions to the telecom carrier involved. 

Law 153-98 affirms the principle of universal service through (a) guaranteeing in rural or urban areas of low income, the possibility to access a minimum and effective telephone service, at affordable prices, through free and fair competition and the application of its provisions: (b) satisfaction of the public telecommunications services in conditions of free competition, ensuring the continuity, generality, equality and neutrality of said services; (c) free access to the networks and public telecommunications services in transparency and non-discriminatory conditions by the telecom carriers and end users; the information creators and receptors; and, the providers and users of the information services.

For said purposes, the General Telecom Law creates the “Fund for financing the development of telecommunications” (FDT by its acronym in Spanish language), administered by INDOTEL, whose Board of Directors oversees and undertakes all decisions regarding the development projects. Those projects are aimed at providing services in rural and urban areas with low income. Said initiatives are integrated into biannual plans of specific projects. The projects are appointed through public auction to the qualified bidder requesting lesser subsidies based upon the basis of the auction.

The FDT is financed with the (a) surplus of INDOTEL budgetary needs as they be covered, (b) amounts perceived by INDOTEL for the concept of charges for incompliance; (c) amounts collected for concept of sale of seized telecom equipment; (d) Percentage participation on the sums collected for concept of Contribution to the Development of Telecommunications ("CDT") through annual Board of Directors’ Resolution which cannot be lesser than 6% of its full amount; (e ) any contribution assigned in the State General Budget Law; (f) donations, successions, contributions, assignments and/or transfers, loans or any other concept, previous INDOTEL authorization; (g) returns generated by the FDT. 

Interconnection is mandatory as the telecommunications services have a social and public interest.  The agreements must be communicated to INDOTEL prior to their implementation. The telecom carriers interconnected must provide necessary interconnection facilities to satisfy end users’ demand and its growth, in a non-discriminatory manner and based upon its availability; simultaneously, the agreement must be published in a national newspaper for any interested party accrediting a legitimate interest, making any observations within a term of 30 days.

Interconnection charges are freely negotiated between the telecom carriers authorized to provide services by INDOTEL, which shall ensure that the charges are not discriminatory and ensure an effective and sustainable competition. In case there is any conflict between the parties, INDOTEL will intervene in the establishment of said charges through a resolution specifying the reasons for its decision, for which it must take into consideration parameters such as costs, including reasonable payment for the investment made.

The interconnection agreements are negotiated in a free manner by the carriers; in case of any disagreement any of them can request the intervention of INDOTEL which shall determine the preliminary conditions of interconnection, and previous consultation with the parties (in a non-binding manner) will set forth the definitive conditions, complying with the fixation of charges with the parameters mentioned in the immediate above paragraph. Should INDOTEL find that the agreement violates legal provisions, it will request the parties to amend it and file the new agreement that intervenes between them.

Net neutrality is indeed acknowledged. In that sense, the local carriers for internet access cannot, in an arbitrary manner, interfere, turning slower, restrict, limit or block the OTT content, applications and services that may be available on the web if they do not violate Dominican laws or rules that may apply in each case. However, the local carrier may provide service plans with access only to certain applications or content to the choice of the end user and at appropriate price and quality levels according to the needs of the segment of the market or its users, being mandated to include, among its plans, the option to an “all access” plan.

Among the rights acknowledged to internet end users, you may find that the internet access service must be provided under the principles of continuity, generality, equality, neutrality, transparency and quality. 

The Dominican Constitution states that the territory of the Dominican Republic comprises, among others, the spectrum and the space where it acts. On its part, General Law on Telecommunications defines spectrum as public domain property, natural, scarce, and inalienable which forms part of the patrimony of the Dominican State which use and granting of rights for use will be done as provided by said law and its complementary norms; and, also is subject to international regulations and recommendations particularly those issued by the international bodies to which the Dominican Republic is part of. Nobody is entitled to claim acquired rights in the use of any portion of the same. 

INDOTEL has the power to manage, administer and control the spectrum as well as certain bands for specific uses, and to assign frequencies to some users, and, controlling its use, in accordance with General Telecom Law, the National Plan on Assignment of Frequencies ("PNAF" by its acronym in Spanish language) and also the international rules and recommendations. The PNAF review and update is done depending upon the needs generated by technological advances, growth in the use of spectrum, and the availability of new bands of frequencies.

PNAF is INDOTEL’s main regulation on the planning and efficient management of the spectrum aimed at improving and adjusting the use of spectrum to satisfy in a timely and proper manner frequencies needs of different public telecommunications services; consequently, it applies to all services, radio stations, and equipment used to operate those services in the Dominican territory including therein, its territorial waters and airspace.

INDOTEL must call a public bid for granting concessions or licenses requiring the use of spectrum for radiocommunication public services safe for those cases where a justified emergency has been presented to INDOTEL. Said granting must be in accordance with PNAF, not being possible to assign a frequency for a service not expressly stated in the PNAF. Should such a scenario occur, said granting shall be considered as null and void.

2020 PNAF permitted the insertion in the Dominican Republic of mobile services of last generation (5G) as well as the improvement of quality in telephone and internet services.

PNAF serves to answer in a timely manner any requests for attribution of frequencies for public telecommunications services that interest foreign investment, and is also considered a tool to improve the free and fair competition regime.

Spectrum use is not liberalized in the Dominican Republic; therefore, there is no secondary market for spectrum. The title holder of a license that is not in use should return it to INDOTEL. In that sense, any title holder of a license must obtain prior INDOTEL’s Board of Directors authorization to transfer, assignment, leasing, granting right of use, registering any lien or encumbrance, shares sale or any other transaction that may imply, directly or indirectly, the loss or possibility of loss of the seller’s social control or to form its societal will of the authorized carrier entity. The purchaser, assignee, or acquirer must meet all the requirements established for obtaining pertinent authorization to provide public services, including, among others, being incorporated under Dominican Corporations laws. Proceeding with any of these transactions without complying with the legal procedure will be deemed as expired and not be opposable to INDOTEL.

On the other hand, there are generic licenses granted by INDOTEL for shared use of spectrum, without public bidding, under operation and particular modulation parameters, which entitle the simultaneous use of said licenses and the coexistence with other installed systems, in such a manner that they can be used freely without exclusivity character. 

The Telecom Law provides that local carriers’ right of way for the laying of their networks and installation of their telecommunications systems on private property must be agreed upon by the parties and will be ruled under ordinary civil law general provisions, except for the statute of limitations, which will be one (1) year. In case the parties do not reach an agreement and it relates to public telecommunications services, it will be deemed a legal right of way subject to INDOTEL through resolution, justifying the decision, declaring the right of way as essential for the provision of the services. In that case, the indemnification to be paid by the telecom carrier will be fixed by a competent judge pursuant to the expropriation procedure established by the law. The telecom carrier can exercise this right even in the absence of a verdict with res judicata, subject to paying the provisional indemnification set forth by the competent court. 

INDOTEL Boards of Directors Resolution No. 089-17, as amended by Resolution No. 005-19, establishes the General Rule for sharing of passive infrastructure and related telecommunications facilities, whose objective is to promote and regulate the shared use of passive infrastructure and related telecommunications facilities.

Concerning Municipal authorizations, on December 5, 2024, INDOTEL Board of Directors issued Resolution No. 145-2024 recommending local administrations (that is, City Halls and Municipal Councilors) the standardization of administrative procedures for the installation and dismantling of telecommunications infrastructure on public property due to the fact that there was no consistency in the permits and/or authorizations required by local administration for such purposes. Consequently, it is important to note that the municipal authorizations indicated herein may still vary depending upon the respective competent City Hall and Municipal Councilors. Among such municipal authorizations, you may find the registration of the company, the use of a land permit, license of installation, operation and dismantling of cables and posts, the authorization for approval or dismantling of telecommunications infrastructure, certification of the technical team to be used. Additionally, to obtain such municipal authorizations, they must file other permits, certifications or non-objection letters from the Fire Department of the area, Civil Aviation Institute, the Military Cartographic Institute, and the Environmental Ministry.  There are monthly and/or annual rates to be paid to the City Hall or the Municipal Councilors for different types of permits or authorizations. 

Among the rights granted to local carriers authorized by INDOTEL, you may find the use of public domain property for the laying of its networks and installation of its systems, adapting to the relevant municipal and environmental regulations.

As mentioned prior, INDOTEL Boards of Directors Resolution No. 089-17, as amended by Resolution No. 005-19, establishes the General Rule for sharing of passive infrastructure and related telecommunications facilities, whose objective is to promote and regulate the shared use of passive infrastructure and related telecommunications facilities.

Said Resolution mandates the local carriers and passive infrastructure providers to share such infrastructure and related facilities requested by other local carriers, subject to said sharing being feasible from a technical, safety and operational viewpoint. Said sharing must be done in a non-discriminatory practice, at fair and reasonable conditions and price. Also, access must be done in equal, transparent and non-discriminatory practices for local carriers rendering public telecommunications services.  

The request must be necessarily linked to the concessions, authorizations or permits issued by INDOTEL. Public telecommunications services cannot deteriorate due to either the infrastructure sharing or the covenants of the parties in the agreement, such as access and traffic to the passive infrastructure. The infrastructure sharing cannot be done with an exclusive character or by limiting the access of other local carriers. Each party must remain the owner of the assets declared for obtaining INDOTEL authorization. Any assets disassociation (through sale, assignment or any other) must be notified to INDOTEL within the next 15 days of the transaction. In that case, the new title holder must respect the sharing of the infrastructure in the same conditions as the seller or assignor, and all norms, provisions and obligations will be applicable similarly as it did to the seller or assignor. Any clause that implies the possibility of unilateral or automatic termination because of the assets’ disassociation is considered a breach of the General Rule on passive infrastructure sharing.  In addition to the elements defined as passive infrastructure and related facilities, INDOTEL is entitled to include others when it is deemed necessary for the rendering of public telecommunications services, or it may satisfy the general interest in a certain market or when it may be required for the mise-en-scene of public plans or policies.

Passive infrastructure and related facilities will continue under the control of the title holder or the services provider. Such sharing must be done departing from the exceeding capacity.

For the rendering of services of shared infrastructure, it is required to obtain a Special Registration at INDOTEL. The parties to an agreement for passive infrastructure and related facilities are free to negotiate the price, terms and conditions of the sharing in accordance with the Telecom Law, the General Rule issued by means of Board of Directors Resolution No. 089-17, as amended by Resolution No. 005-19.

For the landing and operation of submarine cables for providing carrier services to local public telecom services providers, a concession must be obtained. 

Satellite services via local carriers, or resale satellite services through local carriers, or carrier services to public telecom services providers must obtain a Special Registration at INDOTEL. Should the satellite company provide services to end users, it will require a concession. 

For ground stations, a concession granted by INDOTEL is required, linked to a license for the use of the spectrum. 

Depending on whether it will be done as resale through a local carrier, it will require a Special Registration; while doing it directly to end users, it requires a concession since it is considered a public telecommunications service.

Telecommunications terminals, equipment or systems that could be connected, directly or indirectly, to a public telecommunications network, or that use spectrum, must be homologated. It is considered that equipment has obtained a homologation certificate whenever (a) the local carrier accepts the connection of the equipment to its network communicating it to INDOTEL which does not imply that it can be connected to other public networks; (b) When it has obtained homologation issued by competent authorities of a country with World Numbering Zone 1; (c) when issued by INDOTEL upon technical verifications by a specialized third party provider, local or foreign. For equipment using the spectrum, they must comply with this procedure. For commercialization in the country of any telecommunications equipment or device, it is an essential requirement to obtain pertinent homologation. 

For purposes of this questionnaire, we refer in this section only to those activities of said sector that are under the supervision of INDOTEL. That is, TV, Pay TV and radio broadcasting services providers, which must obtain authorization from INDOTEL. Consequently, the film industry is expressly excluded from our answers.

Currently, the Dominican Republic is in the process of changing to Digital Terrestrial TV. In December 2025, the analogue switch-off occurred. Digital Switch Over has been implemented progressively since 2024 in different areas. Since July 2025, there have been technical tests and final trials with the purpose of verifying the penetration of TV converter boxes and the functioning of the system before the Digital Switch Off.   INDOTEL has led this process as the telecom regulator.

Based upon the provisions of Article 66 of General Telecom Law, which entitles INDOTEL to regulate, manage and control the spectrum including therein appointing to certain uses, specific bands, granting right of use of frequencies to certain users and controlling its correct use, on August 2025 INDOTEL issued the definitive list of virtual channels for the implementation of Digital Terrestrial TV in the country which entailed reordering the assignment of frequencies. As per the said list, 46 service providers were registered as virtual channels. There are approximately 10 that did not complete their process at that moment.  Some frequencies remained the same, while other channels, particularly those in the UHF band, were shifted to have space available in the 700 MHz band, currently used for 4G and 5G mobile technologies. Said changes aimed to upgrade the use of spectrum while releasing important bandwidth, leading to the expansion of connectivity and bringing up a more advanced and useful system.

Nowadays, INDOTEL registers 90 Pay TV service providers (including therein, via satellite, cable, via internet). Main players in PAY TV are Claro TV, Altice, and Sky, as well as others such as Aster, Le Bouquet Francais République Dominicaine, S.R.L. (via satellite), VIVA TV, and Wind Telecom. 

In what concerns the authorization for providing broadcasting services or Pay TV, INDOTEL is the regulator, while it does not regulate their content. For said specific purpose, they are ruled by General Telecom Law No. 153-98 and respective Rules for Application of the law listed in our answer to question number 4. 
Pertaining to content, it is Law No. 1951 as of March 7, 1949, as amended, on the Regulation of Public Entertainment and Radio Emissions (while it also regulates free-air TV broadcasters) and its Rules for Application by means of Decree 824 as of March 27, 1971. The said law creates the National Commission of Public Entertainment and Radio, which oversees content in public entertainment, radio and free-air TV broadcasting. 

For providing broadcasting services, a concession linked to a license is required. The applicant entity must be incorporated under Dominican Corporations Laws, and the company capital must be mostly Dominican nationals. 

Please refer to our responses to questions 8 and 11. 

Only for broadcasting (radio or TV not applicable to Pay TV) it is mandatory that Dominican nationals hold most of the participation in the company capital. 

The General Telecom Law does not refer to any limits on the number of licenses that can be held. However, from a free and fair competition standpoint, among the objectives of said law, you may find the promotion on the participation in the public services market of carriers capable of developing free, fair, effective and sustainable competition in the course of time which translates into a better offer of services to end users in terms of prices, quality service and technological innovation.  Among INDOTEL's goals is the guarantee of free, effective, fair and sustainable competition in the rendering of telecommunication services, for which it is mandated to regulate those services in which an absence of competition may result in prejudice to the end users. Additionally, any actions of the carriers, which under the criteria of the INDOTEL Board of Directors, attempt in an intentional and evident manner against the principles of freedom in rendering of services and free competition is considered a very gross fault.

The General Telecom Law defines dominant position as that condition in which a carrier owns unique facilities which duplication may be antieconomic; or, the condition of carriers having a monopoly of the market in a determined service or product, sufficiently important as to let them impose their willpower due to lack of alternatives within the market: or, when without being the sole carrier of said product or service, they can not be offered in an effective competition environment. The abuse of dominant market position is among the restrictive practices to a fair and free competition.

In an INDOTEL decision concerning a merger in the telecom market, they stated that economic concentration is that with the ability to amend the structure of the market, which can be measured, among other elements, for the market share, along with the control over facilities and essential supplies, entry barriers typical to telecommunications market, the level of concentration with which a given carrier operates the market in the country and the costs structure for the supply of the services. 

Frequencies are assigned by INDOTEL when granting the license for its use. INDOTEL oversees that the broadcasting entity complies with regulations to prevent interference in adjacent channels.

Neither production companies nor advertising agencies are registered at INDOTEL since it does not regulate content. Moreover, none of the TV production companies or advertising agencies need any specific license for the act of TV production or advertising itself. On its part, the Consumer Protection Law strictly prohibits false or misleading advertising. 

In a general manner, the entity licensing, distributing or otherwise making available content in the Dominican territory is not required to obtain a license.  Nevertheless, the entity providing the content directly to the end users must obtain a license/concession from the Telecommunications Regulator (INDOTEL).  In that sense, any licensee that is authorized to provide public broadcasting services (whether open or by subscription) to end users must file for its registration before the National Copyright Office (ONDA, by its acronym in the Spanish language).

Consumer rights are protected to make sure that end users receive accurate and truthful information and, and also are guaranteed access to remedies for complaints. Meanwhile, those aspects of promotions/ marketing out of the scope of the Telecommunications Law abovementioned, that is, applicable to advertisers who hire space in any media to advertise its products and or services to consumers or end users, are ruled under Consumers Protection Law provisions and more particular Resolution 16-2014 which defines false advertising as the inducement or intention to induce the consumers and end users to acquire a good or service that afterwards was false or did not exist, to offer or advertise a good or service which is not available in order to cause the consumers or end user to acquire other good or service, to discourage the purchase of a good or service advertised in order to have the consumer or end user to acquire another, to offer or advertise certain good as new when in the facts it is used or repaired. 

It is forbidden that comparative advertising is based upon false advertising, or, compares products or services that do not satisfy the same needs, or, it is not objective when it compares essential, pertinent, verifiable and representative features of the products or services, or, it may lead to confusion, or, it discredits brands or commercial names of competitors; or, it takes advantage improperly of the reputation of a brand or any other trademark of the competitor. Any telecommunication public services provider that participates in the creation or preparation of advertising must abide by the provisions of said Resolution.

Promotions and commercial offers are also ruled by the above-mentioned Resolution. In this case, the information concerning the discount must be specifically detailed in terms of decrease in price per unit, term or duration, the goods object of the promotion or offer, as well as the phrase “while supplies last” must accompany the offer.

In addition, Law on Defense of Competition includes among the acts defined as unfair competition, the false or misleading advertising, omission of the true information, or any other that may create confusion in the end users on the products or services, the intellectual property rights of third parties; acts of undue comparison, acts of denigration transmitted to the public regarding the activities, services, commercial relationships of a third party which tend to discredit them in the market unless they are true, pertinent and accurate.

As part of Decree 824 regulation on advertising, it provides that commercials must be done in accordance with the norms imposed in the culture, good morals and proper use of the language so that they cannot be misunderstood. Advertising certain products, such as pharmaceuticals, requires prior registration with the competent regulator. From the total of individuals appearing in commercials, at least 75% must be Dominican citizens and such commercials must be in the Spanish language. For any commercials that must be produced abroad, 25% of individuals participating must be Dominican citizens and the commercials must also be in the Spanish language. 

Finally, (i) misleading (or false) advertising with the purpose of impeding or restricting the freedom of competition; (ii) promotion of products and/or services based upon false declarations concerning disadvantages or risks of other products or services of the competitors, are considered as unfair practices pursuant to the General Telecommunications Law. 

Currently, in the Dominican Republic, there are no regulations applicable to free-air TV ruling content produced abroad. Pay TV carriers will be ruled pertaining to the provisions of law ruling content of information, programming, advertising, intellectual property and any other aspects ruling media may be, internal norms or those resulting from international covenants entered into by the Dominican Republic and ratified by the National Congress. On the other hand, INDOTEL regulations for TV broadcasters do not include provisions pertaining to content. 

Law on Industry Film No. 108-10 provides in its Article 24 that the Film Industry Regulator ("DGCINE" by its acronym in Spanish language) is entitled to establish norms on the minimum percentage of displaying national content, screen quota, not only in cinemas but also in any other means of exhibition or commercialization of movies, including free-air TV, whenever the national film industry make it necessary.  However, the main method used by the Dominican Republic to encourage local audiovisual production is through tax incentives instead of mandatory quotas, which is the key feature aiming to boost the expansion of the local industry and attract foreign investment

As previously indicated, to make foreign content available in the Dominican territory, a registration at ONDA is required. Violation to Copyright law by Pay TV operators has been sanctioned by INDOTEL as per the provisions of Telecom Law, Copyright Law and International Conventions to which the Dominican Republic is signatory. Under Copyright Law, in a general manner, it is qualified as an illicit act to distribute it, whether by sale, lease, or commercialization without the license or authorization of the producer or its official representative, as well as the reproduction. Actions to be undertaken by local authorities may include, among others, free access to the premises of the establishment violating Copyright laws; proceedings on research, validation or investigation deemed necessary, cross-examine the staff and officers of the company; require the evidence of licenses, authorizations or documents related to the matter; attest the violation through certificates issued; order the immediate suspension of the illicit activities; keep all illicit material including any equipment used for the illicit activities.  While any appointed judge can authorize the embargo of all equipment and any material involved in the violation of the copyrights and the ceasing of operations. Sanctions may include fines, condemnation of damages and even criminal sanctions, including imprisonment.

Decree No. 824 provides that for retransmissions, whether from national or foreign stations, it is mandatory to present to the Commission on Public Entertainment and Radio, the previous authorization of the original station, while the station retransmitting the program must indicate the origin and name of the primary station, before and after the retransmission. Free-air TV musical programs must prefer Dominican authors. Live programs must promote local artistic values and expressions of Dominican art.  

Abovementioned Law No. 1951 as of 1949 and its Rules for Application No. 824 focus predominantly on general content standards concerning decency, public order, and the use of the national language; in that sense, you may find restrictions regarding offensive material, protection of minors, privacy, defamation, and adherence to cultural values. They provide that any material that, because of its type, may be of little instruction for children cannot be broadcast before 9:00 pm. Also, the free-air TV broadcaster must notice in advance any consequences that may derive from material to be exhibited after said hour.  All free-air TV must include in their programming at least 2 daily cultural programs of not less than 30 minutes, during which no commercial can be related to alcohol or cigarette consumption.

As part of the Fundamental Right of Minors to Entertainment, the Dominican Juvenile Code mandates all free-air TV operators to include in their schedule classified for children and teenagers, programming with educative, artistic, cultural, informative and formative in prevention of violence and creation of values purposes. Additionally, it requires that free-air TV operators must notify parents, both during transmission and after any program, of its classification so that they can be aware whether their minor children can be exposed to it.  

Regarding the obligations imposed on specific access requirements, such as an obligation to provide closed captioning, subtitles, sign language, and/or audio description, there is no particular provision applicable. Nevertheless, in a general manner, the National Council on Disability (CONADIS by its acronym in Spanish language) is legally entitled to request to INDOTEL to assure the access to information and communication to sensorial disabled individuals in order for those companies authorized to provide information, video and data services to the public, may offer the same in diversity and quality conditions to those disabled individuals, including therein subtitles or interpreters of sign language in the production of programs. 

There are no mandatory minimum quotas for national or local content, neither on free-to-air nor on Pay TV. Notwithstanding, DGCINE is authorized to establish rules on the minimum percentage of national content, screen quota, not only in cinemas but also in any other means of exhibition or commercialization of movies, including free-air TV, whenever the national film industry makes it necessary.  

Pay TV carriers have the obligation of retransmission (or must carry) in their coverage area the signals of TV broadcasters with “local signals” requiring it. For the TV broadcaster being a beneficiary of the right of retransmission, they must meet the following requirements: a) having obtained a concession and license in the area for which the Pay TV services provider is authorized; b) to comply with the degree of Local Signal established in the Rules for Application of the Law on Digital Terrestrial Television Services. In no case shall the must carry obligation imply the extension of the area authorized to the TV broadcaster. 

The technical and economic conditions of the retransmission are freely negotiated by the parties under non-discriminatory conditions.

Moreover, the Pay TV operators can interconnect their networks, under the economic conditions freely convened upon, to form regional, national or international chains, temporary, partial or permanent, to retransmit programming of another, being one of them, the origin or matrix signal, subject to compliance with intellectual property laws. 

There is no specific prohibition on foreign advertising production. However, the main regulations on advertising under Decree 824 include that commercials must be done in accordance with the norms imposed by the culture, good morals and proper use of the language to avoid misunderstanding. Advertising of certain products is subject to prior registration at the competent regulator. Furthermore, at least 75% of individuals participating in commercials must be Dominican citizens and such commercials must be in the Spanish language.

For any commercials that must be produced abroad, 25% of individuals participating must be Dominican citizens and the commercials must also be in the Spanish language

Please refer to our response to question 26, which applies mutatis mutandis to this question. Furthermore, alcohol and tobacco advertisements must include warning requirements about their effects on health. 

There are no regulations on advertising/marketing per se; therefore, there is no registry for advertisers.

However, several laws apply to advertising as previously indicated, such as the Consumer Protection Law, the Defense of Competition Law, the General Telecom Law, the Juvenile Code, and Decree 824, among others, for regulated sectors, such as health and related issues. 

In the Dominican Republic, audiovisual services are treated as standard commercial services. As such, the applicable taxes are VAT ("ITBIS") at an 18% rate on these services, and Income Tax ("ISR") at 27% on the income derived from them. When the service provider is a foreign entity, and payments are made abroad for Dominican-source services, a 27% withholding tax may apply. For Pay TV, they must charge ITBIS and 2% for the Contribution to Development of Telecommunications.

However, when audiovisual services are rendered within the scope of a certified production under Film Law No. 108-10, significant tax benefits may apply. These include ITBIS exemptions, exemption from import duties for equipment admitted temporarily, exemption from income tax withholding on foreign cast and crew hired exclusively for the project, and access to a 25% transferable tax credit on qualified Dominican expenditures.

OTT is not regulated locally. Therefore, (a) they are not mandated to register locally or appoint a legal representative; (b) there are no screen quotas applied to OTT and on-demand services; and (c) there are no tax obligations applicable to streaming platforms. 

Please note that the Dominican Republic has not adopted a specific legal framework ruling AI; however, by means of Presidential Decree 498-23, the Artificial Intelligence National Strategy ("ENIA", by its acronym in the Spanish language) and its action plan were approved and will be in force until December 31, 2030. Several laws could apply to situations arising from the use of AI. 

Moreover, there are currently several bills at the Senate pertaining certain aspects of AI, such as, “Ethical and Safe use of AI in the Dominican Republic”, “Guidelines on Public Policies Aimed to the Development, use, Regulation and Implementation of AI in the Dominican Republic”, “Amendments to Cybercrime Law No. 53-07 to Punish Cyber Scam and Unlawful use of AI”, “Organic Law Aimed to Regulate the AI Systems in the Dominican Republic”. All of them are assigned to special commissions of the Senate for its evaluation. 
The bill identified as “Organic Law Aimed to Regulate the AI Systems in the Dominican Republic” pursues to establish a regulatory-legal frame for the development, implementation and use of AI system in the Dominican Republic to guarantee the protection of fundamental rights, promoting transparency, safety, legality and ethic in its development as well as in its application, and, also to encourage the technological innovation in the country.

In October 2025, INDOTEL and the  Center for Public Intelligence signed a Cooperation Agreement aimed at strengthening the development of the ecosystem of artificial intelligence in the Dominican Republic and Central America through a strategic alliance oriented towards the formation of talent, technological innovation, the regional integration and the creation of an Academy on Artificial Intelligence. The alliance pursues the accomplishment of the Artificial Intelligence Regional Strategy within the Central America Integration System ("SICA" for its acronym in the Spanish language). 

As previously indicated, there are no legal provisions ruling the use of Artificial Intelligence in the Dominican Republic; therefore, there is no mandatory requirement to provide AI-based services. Please refer to our response to question 35 concerning this topic. 

General Regulations that apply to artificial intelligence are the Law on Protection of Personal Data No. 172-13, Law on Cybercrime No. 53-07, Antispam Law No. 310-14, and Intellectual Property laws.

In the Dominican Republic, there is not a general law on cybersecurity yet but a Decree No. 230-18 which establishes the Cybersecurity National Strategy and creates the Cybersecurity National Center 2018-221 as amended by Decree No. 313-22 which modifies Article First of Decree 230-18 to extend its validity until December 31, 2030 among which strategic goals you may find the strengthening of legal frame on cybersecurity and to ensure the compliance with legal provisions. 

On its part, INDOTEL, by means of Board of Directors Resolution No. 126-21, issued the Rules on Cybersecurity for the Rendering of Internet Services, which sets forth specific measures to improve cybersecurity in the entities authorized to provide internet services with the purpose, among others, of safeguarding infrastructure and guaranteeing the continuation of essential services in case of any breach. 

On the other hand, the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, by means of the Resolution JM 181101-02 of the Monetary Board, established the Rules on Cybersecurity and Safety of Information Applicable to the Financial System.

Currently, there is a bill in the Senate on the Management of Cybersecurity in the Dominican Republic and 2 bills in the House of Representatives for creating the National System on Cybersecurity against Cybercrime, and on the Management of Cybersecurity in the Dominican Republic. 

The Rules on Cybersecurity for the Rendering of Internet Services issued by INDOTEL establish the obligations of internet service providers pertaining to cybersecurity, among which you may find:

1. Having a defined organizational structure with high-level capability to perform the cybersecurity functions within the entity, which must be independent to establish controls and policies in accordance with the Rules.
2. There must be a Cybersecurity Committee in charge of guaranteeing cybersecurity management in the entity.
3. There must be a Response Team to incidents, in charge of managing the reports and coordinating the response actions 
4. Keeping active and continuous communication with INDOTEL Direction on Cybersecurity, Electronic Commerce and Digital Signature.
5. Establishing and maintaining a cybersecurity policy with all relevant aspects for effective management of cybersecurity risks, which must be communicated to all personnel and any third parties that may impact the company's cybersecurity.
6. Setting forth a risk management plan that entails identifying, treating and controlling the cybersecurity risks in the technological infrastructure.
7. Keeping an educational program to train the personnel, Partners and users in the protection of the systems and technological assets
8. For remote work, there must be express authorization of the company and in specific places approved by the internet services provider, ensuring the protection of technological equipment and of the information against loss, robbery, threats, and incident and with a safe connection to the administrative network of the company. 
9. Maintaining certain processes, such as on management of vulnerabilities, on keeping track of events on cybersecurity, on management of incidents, on problem-solving, on continuation of telecommunications essential services, on notice to INDOTEL, notice to parties affected and in case they cannot be contacted individually, a public general announcement must be made in the next 72 hours. In case of incompliance INDOTEL can make this public announcement. Between the incident and the report, there must be between 2 and 4 hours, depending on the critical level of the incident being severe, high or medium.

Central Bank Rules on Cybersecurity and Safety of Information Applicable to the Financial System provide the following requirements for the actors of said sector:

1. Establishing the actions for the development, implementation and maintenance of the Cybersecurity Program. 
2. Having a managerial structure of cybersecurity control according to their nature, size, complexity, risk profile and systemic importance. It must be composed of a functional committee (that must report directly to the Board of Directors of the entity), a functional unit (which will address the cybersecurity program), and its respective specialized areas (which oversee the implementation of the cybersecurity program).
3. When applicable, the risk management committee or any other similar committee will undertake the functions of the functional committee depending upon the nature, size, complexity, risk profile and systemic importance of the entity.
4. The Cybersecurity Program must be submitted to the Board of Directors for approval. 
5. Having an Officer of Cybersecurity who must have the capabilities and capacities for the implementation of the program with sufficient hierarchy according to the structure of each entity to ensure having the authority and independence necessary to comply with the duties of the position, reporting to the main executive of the company or to the individual appointed for such purposes. The said officer must be part of the functional committee.  
6. Promotion of a Cybersecurity Culture in the workplace.
7. Specifying in agreements with their clients the privacy policies on information and personal data protection used for their products and services, as well as any modifications.
8. Tracking of clients’ connections to their digital or electronic channels. 
9. Establishing policies and procedures for the management of incidents with the purpose of identifying, responding, remediating, documenting in an effective manner all events or chain of events violating the safety, minimizing their impact and recovering from the incident in the shortest possible time.
10. A Team Response for the financial system is created with the purpose of defining immediate actions for the prevention, detection, containment, eradication and recovery before cybersecurity incidents affecting the financial entities. 

To date, to the best of our knowledge, there are no relevant jurisdictional cases related to cybersecurity incidents where private or public entities were sanctioned because of infringement. 

Please refer to our response to question 39. 

In accordance with the express provisions of Law No. 53-07, national and international companies operating within the Dominican Republic are required, upon becoming aware of the commission of technology-related crimes affecting their operations or interests, to formally file a criminal complaint before the competent investigative authority, namely the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Such a complaint must contain a clear and detailed account of the unlawful activity.

Once the complaint has been duly received, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, with the support of its specialized departments and agencies—particularly the High-Tech Crimes Investigation Department ("DICAT") of the National Police and the National Institute of Forensic Sciences ("INACIF")—will carry out the corresponding investigation. Where sufficient evidence is obtained, a public prosecution will be initiated against the duly identified responsible parties, and the matter will be processed and adjudicated in accordance with the applicable procedural laws.

Law No. 53-07 on Crimes and Offenses of High Technology

In the context of international cooperation, the Dominican Republic maintains a prominent and active role, which has been materialized through the execution of various international instruments and its participation in initiatives aimed at strengthening cybersecurity frameworks. By way of illustration, and without limitation, the following recent agreements and initiatives may be highlighted:

• Cybersecurity Treaty entered into between the United Arab Emirates and the Dominican Republic. (May 2025)
• Cybersecurity Capacity-Building Initiative in the Aviation Sector, promoted by the International Civil Aviation Organization ("ICAO"), in coordination with the Specialized Airport and Civil Aviation Security Corps ("CESAC"). (May 2025)
• International Cybersecurity Cooperation Agreement was entered into between the Republic of Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. (April 2025)