A decision about whether Apple can continue to use the iPhone name in Brazil will be released this week. On February 5, the Brazilian Institute for Industrial Property (INPI) will announce its decision on the matter in the Industrial Property Magazine, which serves as...
The Chilean secretary of telecommunications (Subtel) has set technical rules for the use of the 700 MHz band. The formal declaration is the first milestone in the set of activities for launching a contest for the 700 MHz band, which will be allocated under...
Mexican telecommunications company Axtel has closed the sale of 883 telecommunications sites for approximately U.S. $250 million to American Tower Corporation, through its subsidiary MATC Digital. The deal has been in negotiations for some time.
Axtel, which provides broadband and home-phone line services, recently announced...
Two major telecom operators in Brazil announced that they have started trials using near field communication (NFC) technologies for mobile payments.  TIM has partnered with Itaú, MasterCard and Gemalto for its pilot project, while Vivo has chosen Bradesco and Cielo. Itaú and Bradesco are two of...
Several Brazilian companies have chosen to invest in employee training to deal with the lack of technically skilled job applicants. This strategy has also been used to reduce employee turnover, another serious concern for information and communications technology (ICT) companies.
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The planning, authorization and subsequent implementation of broadband connectivity plans in Latin America will become increasingly important in upcoming years. Regional governments understand
LTE coverage is increasing in Puerto Rico as U.S.-based telecom operator Sprint Nextel announced that it has improved 3G service and expanded LTE in the country with the goal of reaching more customers. Puerto Rico was a pioneer in launching LTE services in 2011 in...
Vietnamese mobile network operator the Viettel Group was set to launch operations on Saturday, January 26, according to the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC). However, under the concession, Viettel was only contractually obliged to launch technical operations. So, Viettel did not kick off...
The merger of the  Cisneros' digital media unit, RedMas, with the mobile advertising network Adsmovil has created a large mobile advertising network serving the Americas. The newly-formed company will operate under the Adsmovil brand with co-founder Alberto Pardo serving as CEO. Jorge Rincon, RedMas’ CEO,...
RCR Wireless News - Americas2013 Sponsorship ProgramsSince 2011, under the leadership of editor-in-chief Roberta Prescott, RCR Wireless News has been covering ICT and wireless industry news across the Caribbean and Latin American Region. Â Prior to joining RCR Wireless News, Roberta was an award winning...
Colombia’s public telecom operator, UNE EPM, is investing U.S.$ 2.5 million to launch LTE services in the city of Barranquilla. The investment will be used to install radio base stations, fiber optics and transmitters. With this investment, UNE plans to provide coverage for the entire city rapidly—currently...
Chilean watchdog Subtel has set new service quality indicators for Internet, mobile and fixed telephony services that will be used starting this year. According to the minister of transport and telecommunications, Pedro Pablo Errazuriz, the new indicators will replace the national average as the...
Digicel Group has chosen eVolution Networks to provide a smart energy solution (SES) across its network in Jamaica. Digicel aims to slash energy consumption on the cellular tower (base station) level, enabling cost savings by deactivating base stations during times of low traffic.
According to...
Peru’s unit of Telefónica has accepted the requirements imposed that the Peruvian government for renewing its operating licenses. Telefónica classified the conditions and terms required by the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) as harsh and said that they are unprecedented.
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Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly feature, Analyst Angle. We’ve collected a group of the industry’s leading analysts to give their outlook on the hot topics in the wireless industry.
While many developed mobile markets are struggling to continue growing because of deteriorating economic conditions, Latin...
Brazil has a huge shortage of information and communications technology (ICT) professionals. There are many reasons for the shortage including: universities graduating fewer people than enterprises need; professionals migrating from the telecom industry to the construction sector when it was booming; a lack of...
Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly Reality Check column. We’ve gathered a group of visionaries and veterans in the mobile industry to give their insights into the marketplace.
Were you able to organize all the projects by the end of 2012 that must be conducted during 2013? If...
The Brazilian regulator Anatel's telecom numbers for 2012 included some interesting highlights:Â 3G connections increased and both pre-paid and GSM shares decreased in Brazil. Plus for the first time, Nextel was included in Anatel's rankings. Last year, a little more than 19.5 million new mobile...
Uruguay will auction spectrum frequencies in the 900 MHz, 1.9 GHz and 1.7-2.1 GHz bands. The Regulatory Unit of Communications Services (URSEC) announced that it has made the auction bidding terms and conditions  available to interested parties. The blocks to be auctioned are:
According to...
The Brazilian telecommunications market is heating up, boosted by data consumption growth and the start of LTE implementation, and it is having a direct effect on the labor market. More professionals are needed. However, like the shortage in the IT sector, telecom companies may...
Cable & Wireless Panama (CWP), a part of Cable & Wireless Communications, announced that it was awarded a two-year, U.S.$1.9 million contract to implement a corporate asset management register. The project is aimed at helping reduce the costs of providing healthcare in Panama, by...
Brazilian information technology companies have an ongoing problem: how to fill vacant professional IT positions that remain open year after year. Essentially, the country’s universities and technical schools are graduating fewer professionals than the market requires. And the information and communications technology (ICT) sector...
