Mexico’s telecommunications sector grew 12.5% during the first quarter of 2013 compared to the same period of 2012, according to Telecommunications Sector Production Index data. The telecom sector grew more than the Mexican GDP, which grew .8% for the period. The report, released by the Mexican federal telecommunications commission Cofetel, also showed that:
- Mobile broadband connections increased 39.4% surpassing 12 million (3.73 million were modem users and 8.36 million used mobile phones).
- Pay-TV ended the first quarter with 13.39 million subscribers.
- From January to March, there were 1 million new mobile telephony subscribers.
- Total mobile customers reached 101.7 million, of which 85.9 million were prepaid.
- Although prepaid customers still represent the majority of the total mobile base, the number of postpaid customers increased and currently accounts for 15.6% of the total market.
- Mobile service prices decreased 14.6% and fixed-service prices decreased 10.5%.
LTE expansion: Brazil’s Vivo, which is part of Telefónica, expanded its LTE network to eight more cities in the greater São Paulo area and countryside.
Uruguay’s state run telco, Antel, said it is ready to expand LTE services by December to cover the resort areas of the country and departmental capitals. On March 13, the Regulatory Unit Communication Services awarded eight frequency lots to Claro and Movistar for $62.4 million.
Investment: Brazil’s Oi said it will invest about $180 million to improve and expand its 2G and 3G infrastructure aimed at mobile services in the state of São Paulo. Oi said that its postpaid customer base in the state has increased by 50% over the past 12 months. Currently, Oi counts 8.9 million customers in São Paulo, where the company first started offering mobile services in October 2008.
M-payment: Brazil’s TIM is expanding its tests of m-payment using near field communication technology. The carrier announced that it is partnering with Bradesco, one of the largest banks in Latin America, to offer payments using smartphones. In the beginning of this year, TIM was one of two major telecom operators in Brazil to announce trials using NFC technology for mobile payments. Initially, TIM partnered with Itaú, MasterCard and Gemalto for its pilot project, while Vivo chose Bradesco and Cielo. TIM also noted that Motorola and LG provided Razr HD, Razr i and Optimus G smartphones to a select group of people to test the system.
New satellite: The SES-6 satellite on board an ILS Proton Breeze M rocket, which is slated for lift-off on June 3, will be the 53rd satellite in SES’ global fleet. The satellite is equipped with 43 C-band and 48 Ku-band transponders (36 MHz equivalent). The satellite is expected to enable delivery of next generation broadcast services, including HD video distribution and mobile services, from its 40.5° west location in geostationary orbit, covering North America, Latin America, Europe and the Atlantic Ocean.
Spin off: Italy’s Telecom Italia, which controls Brazil’s TIM, has agreed to spin off its fixed-line network into a new business. Ovum regulation analyst Luca Schiavoni said that the telco’s decision comes after many years of discussion and rumors.
“This move will likely give the company more flexibility in the retail market, where they currently have to wait for regulatory approval before they can market their offers,” Schiavoni said. “This will also be a way to reduce debt and find new sources of profit, given that access services are no longer as profitable as they used to be in the previous years due to the downward trend of regulated access prices for services such as LLU and bitstream.”
More news from Latin America:
- The Cuban government said it will soon expand public access to the Internet, although it will maintain restrictions for access at home. Cuba has one of the lowest levels of Internet access in the world.
- Brazilian telecommunications provider Oi has deployed the Aptilo Service Management Platform aimed at mobile data offloading for its fixed broadband and mobile customers.
- Ericsson has expanded its Mexican global service center located in Querétaro, where the company will open a new 8,000-square-meter facility. Currently, Ericsson delivers services locally in 10 regions and remotely from four global service centers located in Romania, India, China and Mexico.
Be sure not to miss what’s happening in Latin America’s wireless markets. Check out RCR Wireless News wrap ups.
