Tag Archives: Caribbean and Latin America

Mobile penetration in Latin America reaches 110%, but Internet access is low across the region

High Tech, Telecoms, , , ,

Based on a new report by LACNIC (Latin American and Caribbean Internet Association of Internet Addresses) internet penetration in Latin America is 40 percent, with a low broadband presence. The rate is expected to grow to 60 percent in 2015, thanks to measures being taken to foster digital inclusion.

Also according to Lacnic, mobile telephony penetration in the region has reached 110 percent, although there is still 20 percent of the population without access to the service. Lacnic also sees mobile broadband as the best solution for the provision of broadband services.

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Digicel closes 2010 with 11.5 million subscribers

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DigicelCaribbean based mobile operator Digicel Group saw its revenues increase by 32 percent year-on-year to USD 580 million in the third quarter ended 31 December 2010.

At end-December 2010, Digicel reached 11.5 million customers across the 30 worldwide markets where it currently operates.

Digicel saw growth in all of its major markets, including El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea and Trinidad and Tobago, and data revenues have doubled year on year, the company said.

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Mobile Number Portability Levels the Playing Field

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­Mobile number portability represents both a threat and an opportunity for operators in Latin America. Which one it is depends on a given operator’s ability to anticipate customer needs and to offer services that have more value to them, according to a new report from Pyramid Research.

Pyramid believes any operator can benefit from Mobile Number Portability (MNP). For many operators, the main source of revenue growth is the acquisition of new clients, but as mobile penetration reaches high levels in many Latin America markets, finding new clients becomes more and more difficult. In these circumstances, MNP becomes an important consideration because it allows customers to churn between networks.

In a market that is reaching saturation, the best way to grow is either by stealing clients from your competitors or by taking your customers to the next level by increasing the usage of data services. MNP levels the playing field, giving all market players a relatively equal opportunity to acquire customers as it shifts the battle to a more strategic ground; this enables operators to compete with better market tools, such as service.”

Telefonica Group Profits Up on Latin American Business

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Telefónica, S.A. has reported a 16% rise in its second quarter profits as growth in Latin America compensated for weaker markets in Spain. The company reported a net profit of EUR2.12 billion for the quarter, ahead of analysts’ forecasts of EUR1.92 billion. 

Consolidated revenue rose 5.4% year-on-year in the first half of 2010 to EUR29.1 billion. Growth was stronger in Latin America (+10.2%) and Europe (+10.8%), and the recovery trend gained traction in Spain.

The company has also reiterated its guidance for the short (2010) and medium term (2012) as well as its shareholder remuneration commitment.

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More CEOs see job increases than losses

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More CEOs see job increases than losses

By TALI ARBEL
AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — For the first time in two years, more CEOs expect to be adding jobs than cutting jobs.

A survey released Wednesday by the Business Roundtable, an association of CEOs of big U.S. companies, says 29 percent of chief executives expect to increase corporate payrolls over the next six months, while 21 percent predict that their work forces will shrink. Half see no change in jobs.

That’s the first time since the first quarter of 2008 that more CEOs have expected to increase jobs rather than shrink them. In the fourth quarter of 2009, only 19 percent expected their payrolls would grow, while 31 percent predicted a declining work force and half expected jobs to hold steady.

The labor market has just recently begun to improve after losing more than 8 million jobs during the recession. Last week, the government reported that employers added 162,000 jobs in March – the biggest gain in three years.

While the pace of layoffs has slowed from the frenzy of job-cutting in early 2009, some companies continue to cut workers. An oil-field services company, Denver-based EnerCrest, said this month it had closed five locations in four states, losing 225 employees. Business software company CA Inc. said Tuesday that it’s cutting 1,000 jobs as part of a plan to reduce costs.

Company leaders in the survey are also optimistic about business prospects ahead of the reporting season for second-quarter earnings. About 73 percent say they expect sales to grow over the next half year, 23 percent forecast no change, and only 5 percent predict shrinking sales.

That’s up from the 68 percent in the fourth quarter who had expected sales to grow; 17 percent had expected declining sales then, and 15 percent forecast no change.

“As the economy recovers and demand returns, we are seeing across-the-board increases in sales, resulting in increased capital expenditures, less job reduction and some employment stabilization,” said Ivan G. Seidenberg, chairman of the group and CEO of Verizon Communications Inc.

Nearly half – 47 percent – of the CEOs surveyed said they will increase capital spending in the next six months, up from 40 percent in the fourth quarter.

The CEOs predict the economy will grow 2.3 percent for 2010 after shrinking 2.4 percent in 2009. In the fourth quarter of last year, the economy grew at a 5.6 percent annual pace.

The survey, taken from March 15-30, surveyed 105 CEOs.

Telefonica moves to take 49% of Colombia's ETB

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Telefonica will offer nearly EUR 700 million for a 49 percent stake in Colombian state-owned operator Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Bogota (ETB), local newspaper El Economista reports. The Bogota city council currently holds 86.59 percent of ETB, while minority shareholders own the remaining 13.41 percent.

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