Uruguay had the first welfare state of Latin America under the presidency of José Batlle y Ordoñez in 1904. Government-owned corporations monopolize services such as electricity (UTE), land-line communications (Antel) and water (OSE). Antel competes with private corporations in the cell-phone lines and international telephony markets. In 1992, under the presidency of Luis Alberto Lacalle, the government attempted to privatize all its companies, following the neoliberal Washington Consensus. However, a referendum won by 75% of the population kept the companies in the hands of the government. By the end of his term, president Lacalle alleged that he had achieved a successful modernization of the companies, which had made them more efficient.
State-owned companies in Uruguay are generically known as Entes Autónomos y Servicios Descentralizados:
ANCAP ANTEL Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay Banco de Previsión Social Banco Hipotecario del Uruguay Banco de Seguros del Estado Central Bank of Uruguay Obras Sanitarias del Estado PLUNA SODRE State Railways Administration of Uruguay University of the Republic UTE
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