Mexico’s telecommunications sector grew 11.3%, surpassing the 10.6% growth posted for the segment in 2010, according to data from the Telecommunications Sector Production Index (ITEL) (see full report).
The country’s telecom sector added 3.9 million mobile customers in the fourth quarter bringing the total mobile user base to 95.3 million at the end of last year. That growth pushed the country’s mobile penetration rate to nearly 85%, according to government regulatory body Cofetel.
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In its report, Cofetel highlighted telecom operators’ strategies focused on increasing mobile data service by boosting their mobile broadband Internet offerings.
According to the agency’s report, 2011 growth across the telecom sector was driven mainly by the increase in the number of subscriptions for satellite TV service, followed by increased consumption of international long-distance and mobile phone traffic. In the report, Cofetel said the traffic growth observed in both services is directly related to the regulatory body’s decision to substantially reduce interconnection charges, which resulted in a reduction on the final price to users. The price index for telephone service fell 9.1% in December 2011 compared to the same month in 2010.
Mexico’s fixed telephony segment declined 2.6%, or 222,000 lines, in the fourth quarter of 2011, with the country ending the year with around 19.6 million fixed lines and a penetration rate of 17.5 lines per 100 inhabitants. Trunking services posted an increase of 10.6% in 2011, and closed last year with 3.76 million users.
National long-distance traffic, measured in minutes, increased 1.7% during the final quarter of 2011, while international long-distance traffic increased by 26.8% in the quarter due to an increase in incoming network traffic. International long-distance traffic for outgoing calls increased 8.6% in the quarter.
The number of satellite pay television subscribers, or DTH, grew 30.8% during the fourth quarter of 2011, ending the year with an average increase of 44%. The segment ended the year with 5.645 million customers and exceeding for the first time the total number of cable television customers (5.591 million). The price of pay TV service dropped 4.1% in real terms when compared with the previous year. Also, the price of Internet service dropped 9% in 2011 compared with the previous year.
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