The advanced wireless services (1.7/2.1 GHz) spectrum band auction in Peru is scheduled for July 22. ProInversión announced that four carriers have qualified to bid in the auction that will enable LTE deployment in the country. The participating telecom operators are: Telefónica Móviles (Movistar), América Movil Perú (Claro), Americatel Perú (which belongs to Entel Chile) and Viettel Perú. ProInversión has established the minimum price (base price) at $63.384 million for each block of bands: 1710–1770 MHz and 2110–2170 MHz.
Investment up: Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto announced that investment in the telecommunications sector will reach $55.5 billion between 2013-2018. During the launch of the Program of Transport and Communications, the president acknowledged that the pace of investment grown in the country’s  infrastructure has fallen short of the needs of the population and industry.
Cutting debt: Telefónica has been granted permission to sell 40% of its assets in four Central American countries for $500 million. The sale is part of its effort to cut debt. The deal is expected to close within the next few days, since Spain’s market authority, Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores, said that Telefónica met the conditions for the sale and could move forward.
Out of the market?: The French group Orange could be preparing to exit the Dominican Republic, unnamed sources told Reuters. The potential sale could fetch up to $1.2 billion. Orange Dominicana, which provides mobile telephone and Internet services to retail and business customers, is seen as a non-core market asset, the sale of which could help pay down Orange’s debt. The country has about nine million mobile phone users and one million fixed lines. Claro leads the mobile market in the Dominican Republic, followed by Orange, Viva and Tricom.
Emerging smartphone markets: Emerging markets present a significant growth opportunity for cell phone manufacturers. Aiming at this potential market, ArcSoft, provider of imaging technologies and applications, announced a new partnership with Qualcomm to bring affordable smartphones with advanced imaging technology to emerging markets in South America, Asia and Africa.
More news from Latin America
- Millicom reported that its second quarter growth reached 6.5% to $1.258 million. Mobile data revenue grew by 30% year-on-year.
- Telecom Italia has ruled out any plan to sell its profitable Brazilian assets for the time being. Cancelling the sale will  avoid potential antitrust issues in the likely event that Spain’s Telefónica becomes its main shareholder after ownership changes later this year, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
- Colombian UNE EPM Telecomunicacaciones is in talks with the municipality of Pereira to formally bid for the 43.8% share in Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Pereira that the local authority owns.
- Millicom’s subsidiary in Bolivia, Tigo, won two slots of 12 megahertz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band with a value of $19 million. Tigo has already agreed to purchase 20 megahertz in the 1900 MHz band and 30 megahertz in the AWS band for $23 million. All awards are for a period of 15 years.
- Cable & Wireless Communications signed an agreement to lease office space in Miami.
- Costa Rica’s telecom agency Sutel has confirmed that number portability will start in the country on Nov. 30. It will be administrated by El Corte Inglés.
- Movistar Venezuela invested $114 million during the first half of this year to expand and improve its 3G networks.
Be sure not to miss what’s happening in Latin America’s wireless markets. Check out RCR Wireless News wrap ups.
