Roundup: TV Azteca, Digicel, Cantv, Telefónica – Regional

American Tower to acquire MIP Tower Holdings – Regional

Roundup: Fixed telephony, Cantv, Columbus – Regional

Digicel chooses NAAP for asset management software – Caribbean

Roundup: Ericsson, DirecTV, O3b Networks – Regional

 

Mexico’s TV Azteca has implemented Dutch company ChyronHego’s end-to-end BlueNet solution at its headquarters in Mexico City to bring to air high-quality news and sports graphics, social media content, and virtual product placement, the latter said in a statement.

TV Azteca’s complete BlueNet workflow includes multiple Lyric PRO-based Mosaic XL systems for seamless graphics creation and playout, CAMIO for centralized graphics asset management, Paint for the quick creation of analysis graphics, SHOUT for incorporating social media commentary and Virtual Placement for the addition of tie-to-surface graphics.

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Mobile operator Digicel Barbados has launched a new roaming tariff plan, international press reported.

The new plan, dubbed “Roam Like Yuh Home”, allows Digicel prepay and postpaid customers to make voice calls, send SMS and access mobile internet services while roaming in the US, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands.

Digicel is providing this new service in partnership with T-Mobile and AT&T.

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Venezuela’s state run telco Cantv has inaugurated a community internet access center in Borburata, Barinas state, the company said in a statement.

The new facility has five computers with internet connections. The center will benefit approximately 15,000 people in the area, the telco said.

Cantv has previously deployed 12 community internet access centers in Barinas state.

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Spanish telecoms giant Telefónica (NYSE: TEF) and Nokia (NYSE: NOK) have signed an agreement under which Telefónica will have exclusivity to sell the Nokia Lumia 1020 64GB smartphone, the telco said in a statement.

The smartphone will be sold in Brazil by local operator Vivo, in Spain and Latin America by Movistar and in the UK, Germany and the Czech Republic through TEF’s O2.

 American Tower to acquire MIP Tower Holdings – Regional

US wireless communications site operator American Tower Corporation (ATC) has agreed to acquire 100% of the outstanding common membership interests of MIP Tower Holdings for US$4.8bn, according to an American Tower press release.

MIP Tower Holdings is the parent company of Global Tower Partners (GTP), which owns around 500 communication sites in Costa Rica, as well as 5,400 towers, 800 property interests, and management rights to over 9,000 sites in the US.

The purchase price includes US$3.3bn in cash and US$1.5bn of debt to be taken on by ATC, which expects to fund the transaction with cash on hand and existing revolving credit facilities.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the fourth quarter, according to the release.

 Roundup: Fixed telephony, Cantv, Columbus – Regional

Ecuador ended July with 2.37mn fixed telephone lines in service, telecoms regulator Supertel said on its website.

The country’s overall fixed telephony penetration was 15.15% at the end of the month, according to the watchdog.

As of July 31, state-owned telecoms operator CNT served 2.05mn subscribers.

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Venezuelan state-run telco Cantv has distributed 400 digital TV decodifiers in Caroní, Bolívar state, the telco said in a statement.

The telco has already distributed 17,163 satellite TV aerials in Bolívar state.

Last month, the government of Venezuela launched the second phase of the deployment of digital TV infrastructure, state telecoms operator Cantv said in a statement.

The second phase of the project stipulates the deployment of nine stations for the provision of terrestrial digital TV services.

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The government of Antigua & Barbuda lauded the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Columbus International and the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC), the government said in a statement.

Under the agreement, Columbus will help CXC to enhance its technological capacity to help bring needed innovation to the delivery of its educational products and services in the Caribbean.

Columbus operates broadband networks in the region, spanning 42 nations with operations in 8 Caribbean countries.

 Digicel chooses NAAP for asset management software – Caribbean

Caribbean and Central American mobile operator Digicel has chosen US telecoms software firm NAAP Global Solutions to provide asset management software for its operations in Martinique, Guadeloupe and French Guiana, according to an NAAP press release.

The multi-modular asset lifecycle software will help Digicel improve operational efficiency and reduce costs by maximizing the tracking and management of 350 telecom sites, said the release.

The solution will also enable an inventory of over 50,000 installed telecoms assets, barcoding and high definition 3D laser scanning, said NAAP.

Roundup: Ericsson, DirecTV, O3b Networks – Regional

Ericsson (Nasdaq :ERIC) has completed the acquisition of Microsoft’s Mediaroom business and TV solution, Ericsson said in a statement.

As the most deployed IPTV platform, with a global market share of around 25%, Mediaroom-powered TV services are offered by nearly 60 of the world’s leading operators, delivering services to almost 13mn households and close to 24mn set top boxes globally.

Mediaroom is based in Mountain View, California, and is comprised of more than 400 people worldwide. The former Mediaroom business unit, including staff, will be integrated into the Ericsson group under the Business Unit Support Solutions, and will be called Ericsson Mediaroom.

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DirecTV has launched an online content portal with 5,000 films dubbed DirecTV play, the company said in a statement.

Users will be able to access the service from PCs, tablets and smartphones.

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O3b Networks and Kymeta Corporation signed an agreement to develop flat panel satellite antennas for ultra-fast and affordable broadband services around the world, both firms said in a statement.

The two companies will jointly develop the satellite tracking antennas and terminals to be optimized for the satellite services that O3b will be offering. The agreement will result in a prototype by the end of 2014, at which point a range of antenna and terminal products with various form factors will be announced by the two companies.

O3b Networks Limited is a global satellite service provider building a next-generation satellite network for telecommunications operators, internet service providers, enterprises and government customers in emerging markets.