América Móvil plans include expansion of fiber optic network in Mexico
América Móvil, Latin America’s largest communication service provider, is about to conclude its investment plan totaling $50 billion.
The amount will be allocated in all markets where the company has operations. The announcement, reported by the Mexican newspaper El Economista, was made after AT&T’s arrival in the Mexican wireless market with its purchase of Iusacell and Nextel.
AT&T completed its $1.875 billion acquisition of Nextel Mexico in late April.
The deal includes companies operating under the name Nextel Mexico and all of NII Holdings’ wireless properties in Mexico, including spectrum licenses, network assets, retail stores and approximately 3 million subscribers.
Nextel Mexico’s network covers approximately 76 million people, with the carrier said to control 25 megahertz of spectrum in the 800 MHz band, 30 megahertz in the 1.7/2.1 GHz band and “some” IDEN/SMR spectrum.
The deal garnered approval from Mexico’s telecom regulator Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones, which also provided swift approval of AT&T’s $2.5 billion purchase of Iusacell, which closed just days before the Nextel Mexico deal was announced. AT&T said it plans to combine those operations into one unit “focused on bringing more choices, better service and faster mobile Internet speeds to more locations throughout Mexico.”
América Móvil plans include expanding its fiber optic network in Mexico.
A new Current Analysis report notes that Mexico’s telecommunications reform, enacted by domestic regulator Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones in 2014, is reinvigorating investment in the nation’s communications infrastructure.
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