America Movil reported that planned investments in the Dominican Republic over the next three years will focus on implementing 5G technology and developing new applications.
According to America Movil executives, which owns the Claro Dominicana brand, the Caribbean country is one of the markets where the company has experienced the highest growth in data consumption per user.
Regulation of mobile telephony tariffs is preventing the development of efficient services and competition between operators.
Removing the tariff regulations on cellular services and improving the availability and access to broadband should be a priority for the new government, say experts in the field.
"Fabio Masís, executive director of the Chamber of Information and Technology Association says it is necessary to issue a declaration of effective mobile phone service competition so that operators can really compete for prices," reported Crhoy.com.
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).
Costa Rica's Administrative Court has ruled against several municipalities for excessive restrictions on installing mobile communication towers.
The companies Alta Vista Towers S. A., Costa Pacífico Torres Ltda and Claro Costa Rica sued the emunicipalities of Santa Ana and Montes de Oca because of prohibitions on the placement of cell towers.
These companies argued before the Dispute Tribunal "that provisions related to height, location and distance make it almost impossible to install antennas", reported Nacion.com.
The National Assembly will resume discussion on the law governing the installation and placement of cell phone antennas, pending since 2003.
The project seeks to regulate the location of phone towers, as in Article 11 which was not adopted in 2003 it is established that those near populated areas have to be relocated.
"Opposition ministers believe that this is preparing the ground for Xinwei, who could gain an advantage if the antennas of Claro and Movistar are relocated", noted an article in Laprensa.com.ni.
The privatization of telecommunications in Costa Rica is still hampered by bureaucracy and lack of agreements in favor of consumers.
They are still 13 Costa Rican municipalities who are not authorizing the installation of “so called” cell towers because of lack of regulations in this respect, or because the regulations, where they do exist, contains disproportionate demands which make it "virtually impossible to install the structures."
Claro and Movistar are bringing forward their plans to grow putting the state run ICE, until recently a monopoly, under pressure.
Claro plans to advance by four years rolling out their infrastructure. For its part, Movistar reports that its sales network has grown 30% since November, when they and Claro entered the market, breaking up the state monopoly by the ICE.
While announcing that the service coverage will be limited due to problems with local municipalities regarding the installation of antennas, the Spanish company opened pre-registration for clients.
The announcement was made by the Director for Costa Rica, Jorge Abadia, adding "We wont have the 100% coverage that we would like from the first day but we will achieve it."
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.