DENVER, United States-Bolivian personal communications services operator Nuevatel will likely be the first operator in the Americas to launch General Packet Radio Service.
The Andean nation of Bolivia, which usually takes a backseat to markets such as Argentina, Brazil and Mexico in terms of wireless development, could see a commercial GPRS system in the third quarter.
Nuevatel, which is owned 67 percent by Western Wireless International (WWI) and 33 percent by the city of Cochabamba’s local telephone company, Comteco, plans to launch GPRS using a core network and mobile Internet platform from Nokia Corp. It began PCS service in late November on its GSM 1900 MHz network and had 15,000 subscribers as of mid-February, according to Pete Simpson, vice president of business development for (WWI).
Why GPRS in Bolivia? WWI President Brad Horwitz said that it is “a continuation of the plan that we had in Bolivia to make [our network] the best network.”
In addition, Nokia was eager to showcase its GPRS technology, he said.
Horwitz admitted that he feels some pressure in terms of now having to deliver a return on investment for the GPRS network, but added that it’s not the same as deploying a third-generation network and having paid a huge amount for the 3G license. “The incremental capital to install GPRS is about less than 10 percent of the capital investment in the core network. … (So that) takes a little bit of the sting and pressure off.”
Entel Movil, which operates cellular and PCS networks in Boliva, also has plans to deploy GPRS on its PCS network. However, its development is behind Nuevatel’s, according to Elizabeth Harr Bricksin, vice president-international for Washington, D.C.-based research firm The Strategis Group.
