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).
After the appearance of number portability in Panama, Claro is the company that has attracted the most users, with 94,773, while only 12,396 have switched to another company.
Following this company is Movistar who "... has gained 26,517 users, Más Móvil with 26,540 and in last place Digicel, which has attracted only 17,258 users, according to a study by the polling company Ipsos" published Panamaamerica.com.pa.
The French multinational will build a backhaul mobile network nationwide, allowing better services for Claro.
In a press release, Alcatel-Lucent announced that the new network will allow Claro Panama to offer its customers multimedia services, including better access to broadband Internet.
Under the agreement, Alcatel-Lucent will provide its IP/MPLS technology, along with consulting services, design, installation, operation and maintenance.
Cell-phone companies have 6.6 million wireless phone numbers allocated, but only 3 million are active.
Through March 2009, Cable & Wireless (C&W) and Telefónica Móviles (Movistar) have 2.7 million lines each, Digicel has 900 thousand and Claro Panama, which has just begun operations, has 300 thousand, according to data from the National Authority for Public Services published by Prensa.com.