Tag Archives: South America

Brazilian regulator approves new pay-TV regulations

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Brazilian telecommunications sector regulator Anatel approved the law 12.485/2011 which was voted in Congress last year and unifies the rules for pay-TV in Brazil. The new law opens the market for telephone companies, reduces restrictions on foreign capital in the sector and establishes quotas for local content on pay-TV programming. According to Anatel, the regulation simplifies the procedure for awarding concessions to operators interested in providing services via cable.

According to agency director, Rodrigo Zerbone, from now on, companies that want authorisation to operate the service will pay a set fee and there is no need to go through a bidding process. As a result of the new rules, Anatel expects that the number of cable TV subscribers in Brazil will double over the next five years. Currently, this figure reaches 13.3 million. The estimated time for the release of new licenses is around 30 days after delivery of all documents required by the agency.

15 operators to bid for 4G spectrum in Chile

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Fifteen companies have acquired formal tender specifications to submit offers for 4G mobile spectrum in Chile, local newspaper Estrategia reports, citing data provided by Chilean telecoms regulator Subtel.

Interested bidders include Universidad de Chile, Telefonica Moviles Chile, Nextel, Entel PCS, Claro Chile, Telecomunicaciones Inalambricas, Media Consultores, Directv, VTR, Asesorias y Comercializadora Protel, ZTE Chile, Telefonica del Sur, Jorge Massardo Gonzalez, Ericsson Chile, Comercializadora Ozzy.

The Chilean government is auctioning three spectrum blocks of 20 MHz in the 2.6 GHz frequency band for provision of 4G services. The frequencies are expected to be awarded in June.

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Nokia Siemens Cuts 3,500 Jobs in Brazil

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Nokia Siemens Networks ended a service deal with Oi in Brazil, resulting in 3,500 job cuts on top of 17,000 already announced.

Most of the employees involved have left the company, Ben Roome, a spokesman for Nokia Siemens, said by e-mail. Reuters reported the news earlier today.

Nokia Siemens announced a five-year field maintenance deal with Oi, the telephone services brand of Telemar Norte Leste SA (TMAR5), in 2009, taking on about 3,000 Oi and third-party employees. The company is cutting about 17,000 jobs in its main businesses as it pares business lines to focus on mobile broadband equipment and related services.

“The exit obviously contributes to our focus and cost- reduction plans,” Roome said. It doesn’t affect the company’s Sao Paulo global network operations center, he added.

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Telecom Argentina net profits up by 33% in 2011

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Telecom Argentina reports 2011 revenues of ARS 18.52 billion, up 26 percent from 2010, mainly fuelled by the mobile and broadband businesses.

Net income for the period exceeded ARS 2.42 billion, up by 33 percent from 2010. Mobile revenues rose 31 percent to ARS 13.18 billion, and fixed-line revenues increased 15 percent to ARS 5.34 billion. OIBDA improved 23 percent to ARS 5.61 billion.

Nucleo, the company’s mobile unit in Paraguay, had 2.1 million customers at the end of 2011, up 14 percent from a year earlier.

The fixed division increased the number of lines in service 1 percent from a year earlier to 4.14 million, and the number of ADSL customers rose 12 percent year-on-year to 1.55 million users at end-December. ARPU climbed 7 percent year-on-year for fixed customers to ARS 45.7, while mobile ARPU grew 16 percent to ARS 51.4.

The operator’s mobile unit Personal gained 1.8 million new customers in the nine-month period, for a total of 18.1 million at the end of December.
Personal’s subsidiary in Paraguay, Nucleo, had almost 2.1 million customers at 31 December 2011, up 14 percent year-on-year. Prepaid and postpaid customers represented 83 percent and 17 percent, respectively

Cablevision denies talks to sell Paraguay assets

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Cable operator Cablevision has denied recent press reports claiming its Paraguay unit is on sale, newspaper La Nacion reports, citing a company statement. Cablevision also said it plans to develop its operations in Paraguay.

The company currently offers cable TV and internet services on the local market. This week, company executives had a meeting with the Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo. At the meeting, Cablevision proposed that state-owned operator Copaco acquired its Paraguay unit, Reuters reported, citing secretary general of the presidency, Miguel Lopez Perito.

Lopez Perito also said that the Argentine media giant planed to exit Paraguay. In response, Cablevision said it “is seeking strategic partners to expand services in Paraguay”. In the statement, the company said that at the meeting with Paraguayan officials, the participants discussed on “matters related to the development of communications networks as well as licenses for provision of 4G mobile phone and mobile internet services, all with a view to expanding the company’s services across Paraguay to reach national coverage”. Cablevision has around 118,000 pay-TV subscribers in the Asuncion and Great Asuncion areas, as well as over 11,000 Fibertel broadband internet customers.

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Virgin selects Cine Colombia for Colombian MVNO

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Virgin Mobile Latin America (VMLA) has signed a partnership agreement with Cine Colombia (Cineco), a Valorem subsidiary, part of the Santo Domingo Group, to launch mobile operations in Colombia.

VMLA plans to launch its MVNO on the local market in this year’s second half, Portafolio reports. Virgin will provide mobile services using the Movistar network.

Cine Colombia offers ticket sales through its telephone ordering service TeleCineco, as well as online reservations at movie theatres located in nine cities of Colombia. The company also offers home video rentals and distributes prepaid cards.

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Virgin Mobile to launch MVNO in Colombia with Movistar

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Virgin Mobile Latin America (VMLA) has confirmed it would launch operations in Colombia this year. The company has signed a wholesale agreement with Movistar.

VMLA plans to launch its first operation in Chile before the end of March and will continue to expand its operations throughout the region. Colombia will now follow in the second half of 2012. VMLA has also received regulatory approvals from the regulatory authorities in Mexico and Peru, and continues to make progress on its expansion throughout Latin America, the company said.

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