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LTE and HSPA+ Boosting Mobile Broadband Adoption in Latin America
[February 21, 2013]

LTE and HSPA+ Boosting Mobile Broadband Adoption in Latin America


(Marketwire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) BELLEVUE, WA -- (Marketwire) -- 02/21/13 -- "While the first four commercial LTE deployments in Latin America and the Caribbean took place at the end of 2011, there are 14 commercial LTE networks in nine countries today," said Erasmo Rojas, Director of Latin America and the Caribbean at industry association 4G Americas. "These LTE networks, coupled with 51 commercial HSPA+ mobile broadband networks in the region, reflect hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in the economy and offer vast opportunities for mobile internet connectivity and new user experiences for both the enterprise and consumers." Latin America and the Caribbean 14 commercial LTE networks in Antigua & Barbuda, Bolivia, Brazil (2), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Paraguay (2), Puerto Rico (4) and Uruguay Expected 40 commercial LTE networks by 2015 93,000 LTE connections at end of 2012 (Informa Telecoms & Media) Forecast 2 million LTE connections at the end of 2013; 30 million LTE connections by 2017 (Informa Telecoms & Media) 81 commercial HSPA networks including 51 HSPA+ networks in 26 countries 120 million HSPA/HSPA+ connections at end of 2012 As LTE expands in the region, HSPA and HSPA+ will continue to provide the important foundation of global mobile broadband connectivity, ubiquitous fast data service and a future evolutionary path. The acceleration of mobile broadband connectivity is reflected by the uptake of data applications and services. By the third quarter of 2012, smartphones represented an average of 14 percent of the device market and data revenues represented 28 percent of total service revenues in Latin America. Mobile operators in Argentina, Mexico and Venezuela reported over 30 percent of monthly service revenues were from data services.



LTE is the global standard for the next generation of mobile networks supported by virtually every major operator in the industry. In Latin America and the Caribbean, LTE mobile broadband is commercial on 12 mobile LTE-FDD networks and two fixed LTE-TDD networks in six different spectrum bands: 700, 850, 1700/2100, 1800, 1900 and 2600 MHz.

"More spectrum is absolutely critical to cope with governments' national broadband plans and with increasing end user data consumption," explained Rojas. "4G Americas is working for the much needed timely allocation of appropriate globally harmonized spectrum bands in Latin America. It is hoped that governments in the region bring out more spectrum in free market-oriented auctions. In order to incentivize the sizable operator investments needed, 4G Americas stresses the need for fair and transparent rules for auctioning internationally harmonized spectrum bands throughout the Americas region." In December 2012, 4G Americas published a free downloadable white paper in English and Spanish detailing the progress and challenges of mobile broadband in the Americas titled, Mobile Broadband Acceleration in the Americas.


About 4G Americas: Unifying the Americas through Mobile Broadband Technology4G Americas is an industry trade organization composed of leading telecommunications service providers and manufacturers. The organization's mission is to promote, facilitate and advocate for the deployment and adoption of the 3GPP family of technologies throughout the Americas. 4G Americas contributes to the successful commercial rollout of 3GPP mobile broadband technologies across the Americas and their place as the No. 1 technology family in the region. The organization aims to develop the expansive wireless ecosystem of networks, devices, and applications enabled by GSM and its evolution to LTE. 4G Americas is headquartered in Bellevue, Wash., with an office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Dallas. More information is available at www.4gamericas.org.

4G Americas' Board of Governors members include: Alcatel-Lucent, América Móvil, AT&T, BlackBerry, Cable & Wireless, CommScope, Entel, Ericsson, Gemalto, HP, Nokia Siemens Networks, Openwave, Powerwave, Qualcomm, Rogers, T-Mobile USA and Telefónica.

Add to Digg Bookmark with del.icio.us Add to Newsvine Contact: 4G Americas Vicki Livingston +1 262 242 3458 Email Contact Source: 4G Americas

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