Although Samsung and Apple mobile phones represent more than half of the devices used in the region's markets, there is an upward trend in the preference for devices from the Chinese brand Huawei.
An analysis of the Trade Intelligence Area at CentralAmericaData provides interesting data on the use and preference of cell phone brands in the region.
Costa Rica is the regional leader in 4G data consumption through mobile devices and 4G networks.
America Movil (Claro) and Telefonica (Movistar) agree that Costa Rica is the country with the highest data traffic in Central America, this is because it is the only country that does not charge for downloading data, but rather by the speed offered by providers.
A system of 17,500 km of submarine cable, designed for 100 gigabits per second, will connect the U.S. to South America through Central America.
Alcatel Lucent and America Movil plan to put into operation, in late 2013, the system known as AMX-1, connecting seven countries with eleven landing points: Miami and Jacksonville (USA), Barranquilla and Cartagena (Colombia), Fortaleza Salvador and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic), Cancun (Mexico), San Juan (Puerto Rico) and Puerto Barrios (Guatemala).
A 6,000 km long submarine cable with 100 Gigabit capacity will expand digital links between Central America and the rest of the world.
A statement from Alcatel-Lucent reads:
A consortium consisting of the telecommunications operators Cable & Wireless Communications, Setar, Telconet, Telefónica Global Solutions and United Telecommunication Services (UTS) has signed a turnkey contract with Alcatel-Lucent to deploy a 100G submarine cable network, in the Pacific Caribbean Cable System (PCCS), which will link Jacksonville Florida with Manta in Ecuador.
ICE claims that Alcatel attempted to bribe them in order to be awarded contracts, the Justice Department thinks otherwise.
The trial undertaken by the U.S. Government against the French company Alcatel, for alleged bribes to obtain contracts abroad, especially in Costa Rica, could end in an settlement between the Department of Justice and Alcatel, who would have to pay compensation of $137 million for the damage .
El Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), Costa Rica's telecommunications and electricity provider, filed a complaint in Miami, Florida, against Alcatel Lucent S.A. and other related parties.
The complaint asserts claims for violations of civil racketeering and other laws of Florida in connection with Alcatel Lucent's bribery and corruption of Costa Rican officials to secure telecommunications contracts with ICE.
To avoid prosecution in the United States for bribes paid in Costa Rica, Taiwan and Kenya, Alcatel-Lucent agreed to pay $137.4 million.
The Department of Justice of the United States will defer prosecution of Alcatel on charges it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and must enter a three-year probation period monitored by a French anti corruption monitor.
The agreement includes the acknowledgment on behalf of Alcatel of having bribed Costa Rican public officials.
The fact that the French company acknowledged paying bribes will certainly affect the trial currently underway against several public officials, among them ex President Miguel Ángel Rodríguez.
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 ClaroPanama to offer its customers multimedia services, including better access to broadband Internet.
The Costa Rica Electricity Institute (ICE) is claiming 76 million dollars from the French company Alcatel for damages and harm caused by the poor quality of a 400,000-line cellular telephone network.
ICE has also broken the operating and maintenance contract that it signed with the company in December 2002.
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