The Superintendency of Telecommunications in Costa Rica has presented its second statistical report for the period 2010-2013.
From the report by SUTEL:
General Development of Sector
Five years after the adoption of the General Telecommunications Law, No. 8642, evaluation of sector performance shows positive results in revenue, investment, employment, population coverage and diversification of telecommunications services.
The Public Utilities Authority has awarded to Digicel eighty-eight of the 230 additional frequencies requested by the company.
From a statement issued by the National Public Services Authority of Panama:
Resolution:
FIRST: ASSIGN to the concessionaire DIGICEL (PANAMA), SA, eighty-eight (88) additional frequencies, which are detailed below, to provide a Personal Communications Service (PCS), identified with the No.106, whose technical parameters are described in Appendix A entitled "Frequency Use Authorizations (AUF)" (see source).
In Costa Rica, 71% of users connect to the internet via their cell phone, while 68% do so using a computer at home.
Elfinancierocr.com reports that "that means that about 920,000 people say that they connect to the internet using a mobile device," according to a study prepared by Unimer RED 506, which noted that access through this medium grew by 56% compared to 2011 and 30% compared to 2012.
The Costa Rica state telecom company is moving away from the purpose that justifies its existence and is impeding the exercise of the popular will in terms of the cellular market opening up.
The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), after using every piece of legal chicanery imaginable to prevent the implementation of number portability, is now simply saying "I WONT SIGN", citing technical insolvency as its reason for not integrating the system that allows users to migrate from one cellular communication provider to another, while keeping their phone number.
In June 2012 the number of active lines was recorded at 19.8 million, 4.6% less than the 20.7 million recorded at end of 2011.
Elperiodico.com.gt reports that "After nearly two decades of steady expansion, in the first half of this year the cellular figures reported a negative, according to a report prepared by the Superintendency of Telecommunications (SIT)."
Over 80% of telephone calls are made via cell phones, and the vast majority are by private operators.
According to the National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel), the number of households with mobile phones increased from 657,000 in 2006 to 1.4 million in 2011.
Cell phone use has become the communication system with the highest penetration in the country, for every 100 minutes of local or national calls, 81% are made via a mobile phone.
Since the formal break up of the monopoly held by the state communications firm, ICE, the number of allocated cell lines has grown from 3.9 to 5.3 million.
Elfinancierocr.com reports that this information was obtained "by an appeal to the Constitutional Court, which forced the Sutel to provide the number of lines that the ICE had up to November 2011, which was considered a strategic issue by the state company and the regulator. "
From 3.1 million lines in 2004, mobile telephony in Guatemala has increased sevenfold, amounting to to 20.7 million lines at the end of 2011.
In the second half of 2011, more than two million new users were added to the market, making the number of users around the country at the end of December 2011 20.7 million, according to the Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (SIT).
Cellular stores have had reduced sales since the process of opening the telecommunications market started.
Retail businesses selling cell phones have experienced significant declines since the start of the privatisation process in the telecommunications sector.
The most commercial aggressiveness has been seen by the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) who are offering packages where the phone is free, and added to this is the entry of new competitors such as Claro and Movistar, which has affected traders dedicated to only selling the phones.
The phone company will invest in the installation of 200 transmission antennas to expand its coverage in the country.
The new antennas will join the thousands that the company has already installed, said Telefonica Moviles’ deputy director of Technology Operations and Systems, Luis Eduardo Durán.
"The investment will be mainly in transmitting antennas and will therefore strengthen the 3G coverage that exists for all its users," said the executive to Siglo21.com.gt.
The increase in the number of mobile phone line users during the first half of 2011 was almost half a million.
As of 30 June, the total number of lines stood at 18,528,667, an increase of 5.7% compared to the same period in 2010, according to preliminary information from the Superintendency of Telecommunications (SIT).
The company Tigo has 43% of the cell phone market, followed by Claro, with 34% and Telefonica with 23.1%.
In the past five years, private telecommunication companies have invested $500 million in the country.
Orlando Castillo, executive chairman of the Nicaraguan Institute of Telecommunications and Post Offices, Telcor, said in an interview with a local television station, that the investment has been mainly used to expand mobile phone services.
He added, "the pace of investment in 2007-2011 wass higher than in 1990-2006, when the private sector injected $700 million into this country.
CableTica, a local cable company, will install a fiber optics network to provide services to mobile telephony operators and internet television.
Parent company Televisora de Costa Rica S.A. reported they signed a contract with Ericsson to build and operate the network over the next 5 years.
“With the network, CableTica will be able to transport any type of data –including television and Internet – and will lay the groundwork for future IPTV services”, reported Elfinancierocr.com.
Active mobile phones increased from 6.7 million in June 2008 to 7.4 million today.
Data from Siget, the telecommunications superintendence, show there are more cell phones than people in the country. June 2007 census measured 5.7 million inhabitants.
"In El Salvador, the telephony market is shared among several companies, the most renowned being Tigo, Claro, Telefónica and Digicel, who are engaged in an advertising war for obtaining a larger chunk of the telecom pie", reports Elsalvador.com.