Brasil has the most expensive cell phone rates on the planet, according to a study released by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). According to the organization, a one-minute call in Brazil costs about U.S.$0.71 to $0.74, three times more than a similar call in the U.S. and five times more than in Spain.
However, the Brazilian telecom operators association, SindiTelebrasil, disagreed, saying that the ITU has misunderstood the situation. “In fact, considering all the plans, the average price of a minute call in Brazil is U.S.$0.07 taxes included and in many plans the price is $ 0.02,” SindiTelebrasil said in a statement.
Changing headquarters—Huawei will move its South American regional headquarters from São Paulo, Brazil to Buenos Aires, Argentina. The company is investing about U.S.$20 million in the office. Following the transfer, Huawei expects it will increase its local production by 1.5 million units next year. Speaking with RCR Wireless News, Huawei confirmed the move  and said that it will not affect its Brazilian operations.
New image—CELISTICS, a provider of logistics and planning solutions for the consumer technology industry, has changed its corporate image. The five-year-old company has Telefónica and América Móvil as clients. In an interview with RCR Wireless News, José Antonio RÃos, group president and CEO of CELISTICS, did not reveal revenue figures but did say the company will manage U.S.$2.50 billion in products this year and has been making a profit for 19 quarters.
NFC ticketing in Rio—A pilot program will launch in Rio de Janeiro enabling mobile NFC ticketing for public transportation. The initiative is a partnership between RioCard Tecnologia da Informação, Gemalto, Motorola Mobility and the country’s four leading mobile operators (Claro, Oi, Telefónica and TIM). Two hundred bus, train and ferry users have been selected to participate in the three-month pilot, which is expected to conclude in December 2013.
More Latin America news:
- Peru may hold another auction round aimed at frequency bands for LTE services, possibly in the 700 MHz. The government wants to increase competition in the telecom sector.
- Following the U.S. spying scandal, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff announced that the government was creating a secure email system to try and shield official communications from spying by the United States and other countries.
- Vivo and Huawei have partnered to deploy the first wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) lines crossing the Amazon river and rainforest. The WDM lines connect two Brazilian state capitals: the Amazonas’ capital, Manaus, and Pará’s capital, Belém. The project is capable of supporting voice transmission as well as broadband data services.
- The Costa Rican government has given the green light to a new frequency band auction. A preliminary report recommended releasing 110 MHz, almost half of the spectrum that is used today. The goal is to stimulate mobile system and service development for LTE networks.
- In Chile, all  phone calls will be charged as local calls next year. The National Congress and the House of Representatives have approved a bill named “Todo Chile a Llamada Local,”which is expected to create significant savings for families and small businesses since it will reduce the cost of long distance calls.
- After five years of discussion, Chile has approved a digital television bill.
- With an investment of R$116 million, Brazil’s GVT is expanding its coverage areas in northern Rio de Janeiro state and beginning to operate in Campos dos Goytacazes.
- Movistar Venezuela announced a U.S.$55 million investment in its networks that connect the mid-western region of the country.
- Brazil’s Vivo is launching its Internet Box solution in the state of São Paulo. The solution uses 3GPlus or LTE networks to connect to clients’ homes to the Internet.Â
- Internet service provider iG has partnered with Celltick to create iG Start, which aims to deliver a more engaging mobile experience to iG’s 35 million viewers in Brazil through their Android smartphone start screen. Â
