Venezuelan telecoms deteriorate amid dollar squeeze, group says

Venezuela's telecoms industry was deteriorating because of a scarcity of dollars, putting roaming and mobile internet services at risk, the crisis-hit country's telecoms chamber said on Tuesday. Telecoms, like almost all sectors of socialist-run Venezuela's battered economy, depend on a strict state allocation of dollars for imports and investments. But a tumble in oil prices and an economic crisis have restricted the availability of hard currency, causing shortages ranging from iPhones to catheters and flour, and harming investments. "The scarce allocation of hard currency so far in 2015 is substantially less than the average of previous years, accelerating the process of disinvestment in the sector," the executive committee of the chamber, Casetel, said in an e-mailed response to questions. More…