Movistar has invested $15 million in a latest generation fiber optic network which will interconnect overland with Central Mexico.
Movistar, the mobile phone brand of Telefónica, has invested $15 million in a fiber optic network that will cover 3,158 kilometers and will connect to Central America and Mexico by land.
Juan Castroverde manager of Movistar Panama said that "through the Central Telefónica network, companies will have greater capacity, quality, security and reliability of their data. The network will have an initial capacity of 10 Gigabits per second for data transmission, in addition to providing a variety of routes and connection points."
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.
From 3.1 million lines in 2004, mobile telephony in Guatemala has increased sevenfold, amounting to to 20.7 million lines at the end of 2011.
In the second half of 2011, more than two million new users were added to the market, making the number of users around the country at the end of December 2011 20.7 million, according to the Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (SIT).
The company Telefonica and the Movistar brand have launched commercial HSPA+ hardware in the country.
Salvador Montes de Oca, director of Marketing and Advertising at Movistar Guatemala told the media that HSPA + technology offers download speeds of up to 21 data megabits per second (Mbps) and 5.7 Mbps for sending information.
For his part, Manuel Barrera executive of Claro "announced last November 24 the company's transition to the use of such technology.
During 2010 the cell phone market registered only a 4% growth, compared to 15% in 2009.
According to the Telecommunications Superintendence, there are currently over 18 million subscribers, 1.22 cell phones per person.
Tigo controls 42.7% of the cell phone market, followed by Claro with 34.1% and Telefonica with 23.1%.
"Of the 18 million users, 17.1 million are using the prepaid-card system, while 966 thousand have a contract with an operator," reported Prensalibre.com.
The companies formed a joint venture in order to provide financial solutions through mobile phones in Latin America.
Movistar mobile customers in Latin America may use the mobile phone to transfer money to other people, pay bills, purchase airtime and make purchases in shops and stores, among other services.
This is the first time that two leading companies in the payment industry and telecommunications sector have joined forces to create a new company focused on integrating the advantages of accessibility of mobile phones used as a tool for financial solutions associated with payment systems.
The computer maker and the telecommunications company seek to double the region’s internet penetration.
Under the terms of the alliance, the companies will market plans for customers to acquire computers and internet access services with special financing programs, explained Jorge Castillo, commercial director at Claro Guatemala.
Castillo added that 4 of HP’s computers will be sold at Claro’s stores with internet access included.
The companies announced that they will attack together some segments of the Central American market.
According to Ericsson's Phone Account manager, Mats Malmstrom, the company "expects an expansion of its Central and Latin American portfolio in 2009, in association with corporations such as Movistar, and offering solutions to users of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) ".
At the close of 2008, there were 14 million 948 thousand cell phone users, according to a report by the Superintendent of Telecommunications (SIT).
SIT also reported a slight growth of 2.52% in fixed telephone service.
Urías Gamarro wrote about the SIT report in Prensalibre.com: "As of December 31, 2008, Claro reported 5.906 million users, equaling 39.50% of the market; the Tigo Company reported 34.60% and Movistar 25.90%."
Mobile phones, the strongest sector for the regional economy, registered a decline in earnings in 2008.
El Periódico reported on its website: "While América Móvil added 1 million new customers in Central America in 2008, revenues from its subsidiaries in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua fell by 3.4 % and its profits were reduced by 26.6%.
SmartTrust has been awarded a contract by América Móvil to deploy in CA its event-aware and subscriber-centric mobile device management solution.
With the automatic device configuration and SmartTrust's market leading Terminal Capability Repository, América Móvil (Claro) is now able to fully support their Value Added Services (VAS) and ensure that all the devices in its network will be recognized, correctly configured and optimized for the full extent of each device's specific potential and full capability.
Telefonica Central America presented its regional program "Commitment to the Client" yesterday in Panama.
Said program seeks to reinforce its position as a telecommunication company that attends to the needs of its clients, the company pointed out in a statement.
Telefonica is looking to offer a service of "excellence" throughout its commercial chain, from buying a cell phone, to voice and data quality, post-sales, added value, technical services and billing.