Last year, countries in the region imported communication radios for $52 million, and Central American purchases from Mexican companies increased by 79% compared to what was reported in 2019.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graph"]
The Costa Rican Electricity Institute tenders the maintenance service and installations in the telecommunications network, for the western metropolitan region.
Costa Rican Government Purchase 2020LI-000002-0000400001:
"The contracted service will be carried out in the established area, in the territory covered by each plant that makes up the lines, with a scope of action in exceptional cases of 60 kilometers around the limit of the contracted area.
The Mayor's Office of Managua filed a lawsuit against Millicom, arguing that the company has a debt of almost $1 million on account of five years of arrears in the payment of the Real Estate tax.
The debt claimed by the City Hall corresponds to the alleged omission in the payment of the municipal tax corresponding to 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, a period in which the assets still belonged to Telefónica.
After Telefónica was acquired by Millicom, the company plans to invest $1.25 billion in the next five years to expand the network and its services to companies in the country.
On May 16, Millicom reported that it closed the acquisition of Telefonía Celular de Nicaragua, S.A., the number one mobile operator in the country, in addition to TIGO Nicaragua's existing cable operation.
The lack of proper infrastructure and the lack of allocation of radio spectrum are some of the reasons why it is difficult for telecommunications companies to improve Internet connection or lower prices for services.
Internet operators in Costa Rica face adversities to improve service and provide better prices to consumers, including the deficit of appropriate infrastructure.
The mergers and acquisitions being reported in Central America are largely because not all companies in the region are willing to make the heavy investments that the transition to 5G technology will require.
The most recent register of the sale of assets of one of the Central American competitors is the case of Telefónica, which on January 24 reported that for $648 million it sold to América Móvil all the shares of Telefónica Guatemala and 99.3% of Telefónica El Salvador.
The percentage of the population with Internet access in Central America increased 17% between 2016 and 2018, increasing from 44% to 61%.
Data from the report "Internet in Central America 2018", compiled by the Commercial Trade Area of CentralAmericaData:
Currently, Costa Rica is the Central American country with the highest proportion of households with Internet access, with 77% of the total, followed by Panama with 67% and Honduras with 31%.
Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad is evaluating the Salvadoran market to determine if there is an opportunity to establish itself as a new broadband operator.
The state telecommunications company already has a presence in Nicaragua, where in conjunction with the state company Enatrel, it operates the company Telecomunica, which provides internet and television services.
With funding from South Korea and the IDB, plans have been made to install 3,500 kilometers of fiber optics in the next two years, with an estimated $100 million investment.
Telcor's general manager, Orlando Castillo, explained that the process of implementing the network of 3500 kilometers of fiber optics will take all of 2017 to complete, and it is expected it will be finished and ready to start operating in early 2018.
Using a World Bank loan coverage and internet telephony will be expanded in the North Caribbean Coast, the South Caribbean Coast, the Autonomous Region, and Rio San Juan and Managua.
From a statement issued by the World Bank:
MANAGUA, August 17, 2016 – The World Bank (WB) and the Government of Nicaragua signed today an agreement to implement a project aimed at increasing broadband access and make further progress in the development of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs), especially in the Caribbean region of Nicaragua.
Improving infrastructure and increasing competition from internet providers not only helps increase coverage and improve the service but also reduces its cost.
The fact that Nicaragua is the most expensive Central American country in terms of connecting to the internet means there is a need not only to improve basic infrastructure, but also to increase competition, thereby improving prices and services provided.
An increase in the rates for telecommunications services and its dollarization would generate market distortions and jeopardize the viability of investments in the sector.
From a statement issued by the Superior Council of Private Enterprise:
Last week we had again to inform and denounce to the public the approval of a unilateral administrative decision by Telcor.
A proposal has been made to draft a new telecommunications bill from scratch, completely leaving out the concepts of state control that the current proposal contains.
In the view of the private sector, the way the "Law on broadband" bill is drafted is not clear and leaves open the possibility for the State to exercise excessive control over internet access in the country.
The licenses granted to the Chinese company will allow them to provide basic telephone services, data transmission, internet, phone and TV subscription, for terms of 10 to 20 years.
According to Elnuevodiario.com.ni "... The license to provide public telephone services nationwide was granted for ten years, according to Administrative Resolution 389-2014, contained in La Gaceta 166.
A 10 year license has been awarded to the Russian-owned company to allow them to venture into the market of data transmission services.
The Nicaraguan newspaper La Gaceta published "...Awarded to the company Yota de Nicaragua SA License 2014-TD-001 for permission to operate and provide data transmission services, as a service of general interest from the date of signing of the license agreement, until 30 January 2024."