Cable Onda S.A., Cable & Wireless Panama and Liberty Technologies won the 4 year contracts to implement the service of nationwide public internet access in Panama.
Thetenderaims to provide WiFi Internet Access Points in three regions and a system for administration of the network. The winning companies were Cable Onda, S.A., Cable & Wireless Panama, S.A. and Liberty Technologies Corp., for a total amount of $21.6 million for the next four years, distributed as follows:
More choice and diversity in programming characterize a market where, of the 15 licenses granted, eight are in operation three are 'Preparing for Entry' and four have stopped operating.
According to statistics from the National Institute of Statistics and Census of the Comptroller General of the Republic, there are currently 919,000 TV users, of which 46% watch cable TV, ie there are 423,000 households with cable TV service.
Cable & Wireless Panama’s acquires local company Sonitel, a provider also in El Salvador, Peru, and Nicaragua B2B markets.
Cable & Wireless Communications, Plc (CWC), through its subsidiary Cable & Wireless Panamá, S. A. (CWP), today announces that it has agreed to acquire Panama-based Grupo Sonitel for US$36 million plus contingent consideration of up to an additional US$5 million.
Dividends corresponding to telecoms shares in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2013-14 totaled $13.8 million.
"The government, which owns 49% of the shares, is entitled to $6.8 million and an equal amount will got to CWC CALA Holdings Limited, through its shareholding of 49%", reported Prensa.com. Of the remaining 2%, $278 thousand will be allocated to the trustee (Banco General SA).
The number of customers of pay TV services has increased from 15,000 six years ago to 133,000 today.
The data, provided by the National Authority of Public Services (ASEP), also indicates that ten suppliers are competing for this growing market.
Prensa.com reports that "the big jump in the number of subscribers came in 2010, when the number of subscribers exceeded 100,000 and continued to skyrocket.
The Social Security Department has canceled the tender for the installation and maintenance of teleradiology equipment and announced a new contest with new rules.
The Social Security Department (CSS by its initials in Spanish) has suspended the tender after resolving the last complaint submitted Cable & Wireless Panama / Promotion Medical, SA (C & W-Promed) against the second round of bidding in which Cable Onda also participated.
Following the cancellation of the first tender, where there were only two interested parties, in Panama there are now are ten companies in the contest that will award a contract worth close to $88 million.
Meditron Panama, Sanjur and Associates, Cable & Wireless (C & W), Horacio Icaza and Co., Promed, Cable Onda, Maxia, Biomedical Support and Systems, Medical Electronics and RESERMA are companies that appear in the minutes of the clarfication meeting of the second call for tender to be held on 21 May.
The tender for teleradiology services in Panama has been declared void by the Social Security Department, who rejected the proposals submitted by Cable Onda and C & W-Promed.
"In the tender for greatest amount, which has a reference price of $88 million, and a five-year contract, proposals were submitted by C & W-Promed for $105,595,132 and Cable Onda for $105,599,999", reported Prensa.com.
Cable Onda and Cable & Wireless are the bidders in the tender to install and manage for five years teleradiology services for users of the Social Security Department.
Both companies submitted bids in the tender, but also some complaints have been brought to light regarding the recruitment process by the Social Security Department (CSS). The consortium Cable & Wireless (C & W), has complained of an alleged disadvantage with their qualification in the process, after a technical committee disqualified them for not delivering technical certification for one of the pieces of equipment.
The Panamanian National Coordination Council has rejected the sale of shares in Cable & Wireless-owned by the state and land in the Free Zone of Colon and Amador.
The meeting was attended by Minister of Economy, Frank De Lima who explained the government's position in regard to the sale of the shares.
"De Lima focused his presentation on the need for the sale in order to develop the process of electrical interconnection with Colombia, in which the state has to provide capital for $140 million.
President Martinelli suspended special sessions at the National Assembly, in which there were controversial discussions, among them the sale of the State's shares in Cable & Wireless.
The special meetings were held initially to discuss the proposed creation of a Savings Fund of Panama, the Guardian Angel program and modifications to the Penal Code.
The company is aiming to become the majority shareholder of the phone corporation by buying 5% of the shares being sold by the Panamanian government.
The partners of Cable & Wireless (C & W) are on the lookout for a possible sale of the government's shares in the company (49%), in order to acquire 5% more and thus become controlling shareholders with 54% of the company.
Cable & Wireless Panama (CWP), Telefonica Panama, Digicel Panama and Claro are the companies competing for the local market.
Panama has 3.3 million inhabitants and 7,281,074 registered mobile phone lines, according to the National Authority of Public Services (ASEP), which is more than two lines per person.
Despite the growth, experts estimate that the local market has not reached a point of maturity and there is lack of serious study providing a realistic view of the situation in telecommunications, and in particular in mobile telephony. Antonio Garcia, Business Development Manager of Claro Panama, is one of the supporters of this idea.
The company, which won the contract to upgrade the 911 service in El Salvador, is starting operations in the country.
With an investment of nearly one million dollars, the company opened its offices in the Torre Futura in San Salvador, where it employs 15 executives.
The project to modernize the 911 service, at a cost of $ 14 million," is the first step for Cable & Wireless to reach its goal of providing other services in El Salvador and at the same time transform it into its platform for expansion to other markets", reported Elmundo.com.sv
The increased demand for more internet services has led the company to expand its data network.
In order to improve internet coverage offered through its data network, the company put into action an expansion plan that began last year when it invested $50 million.
The significant growth of the company's portfolio of customers is another reason why they are betting on the expansion.
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