CellOne, Digicel pick up 700MHz spectrum in Bermuda – Caribbean Ericsson and Claro Puerto Rico carry out LTE-Advanced trial – Puerto Rico Uruguay looks to increase tech sales to Cuba – Cuba, Uruguay Facebook building more mobile ad tools into no-frills Lite app – Regional Frost & Sullivan: Brazilian telcos eye growth opportunities in pay TV, broadband – Regional CellOne, Digicel pick up 700MHz spectrum in Bermuda – Caribbean Bermuda’s regulatory authority has awarded spectrum in the 700MHz and 850MHz bands to CellOne and Digicel for the rollout of 4G networks, according to Bernews. CellOne picked up spectrum in the Lower B & C Blocks of the 700 MHz Band, while Digicel was awarded the Upper C Blocks of the 700 MHz Band, as well as the B & B’ Blocks of the 850 MHz Band. The licenses include island-wide coverage obligations that begin in November. CellOne must reach 75% mobile 4G service coverage within six months and 99.9% coverage within 12 months of receiving the license, while Digicel must reach 50% coverage within nine months and 99.9% within 18 months. The companies must also accelerate the rollout of 4G in the western area of the island, where the America’s Cup race will take place in June 2017. In addition, a net neutrality obligation has also been placed on both CellOne and Digicel to promote access to new and innovative internet-based information, content, applications and services. According to the most recent numbers from Bermuda’s regulatory authority from January 2015, internet penetration on the island was 89%. Ericsson and Claro Puerto Rico carry out LTE-Advanced trial – Puerto Rico Press release By Ericsson, Claro 26 October 2016 Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) and Claro Puerto Rico, a subsidiary of America Movil, will conduct tests on Claro’s 4G/LTE network with new LTE-Advanced mobile technology capabilities to enhance network performance. The trials include 256-QAM, UL 64 QAM, 4×4 MIMO (multiple input multiple output) and Ericsson Lean Carrier; technology concepts, when combined, promise downlink speeds increase of 200 percent, up to 300 Mbps, for mobile users on Claro Puerto Rico’s network. The trial, which runs from October 21-28 in the San Juan Metro and Ponce areas, will take place on Claro’s commercial network in Puerto Rico, using Ericsson equipment and software. 4×4 MIMO enables increased data speeds; the technology is analogous to expanding a highway from two lanes to four, enabling more cars to travel at the same time. 256-QAM increases the number of transmitted bits per stream, similar to increasing the number passengers in a car. These two features, combined with Ericsson Lean Carrier, which works by “cleaning” the signal space (i.e., creating smoother highways in our example), will give mobile customers better access to advanced LTE technologies, ensuring a much faster network for Claro. Implementation of these features in the network would result in higher download speeds for Claro subscribers and a significantly improved user experience while browsing the internet on their phones and tablets. This boost in network speed would mean users will have a better viewing experience while watching their favorite shows, and sharing or viewing videos and pictures of their friends and family online. Enrique Ortiz de Montellano, CEO of Claro Puerto Rico, said: “Our business objective is to maintain our networks with the latest technology in order to offer customers all the advantages that advanced technology provides. A lot has been discussed around LTE-Advanced, but this is the first time trials have been carried out in Puerto Rico. Together with Ericsson, leaders in mobile broadband, we will test the real scope of these technologies, which will allow us to provide our customers the best mobile broadband experience available.” Clayton Cruz, Vice President of Ericsson Latin America and Caribbean, said: “With the growing demand from consumers, industry and IoT for mobile communications, these tests focus on improving the performance and efficiency of LTE networks today, while supporting the development of our customers as they move towards 5G.” Although 5G technology will not begin deployment until 2020, some of the features of this technology, like Ericsson Lean Carrier, advanced MIMO technology, and higher order modulation schemes can already be applied in the networks currently in operation. The strategic long-term relationship between Ericsson and Claro has led to great advancements in the development of mobile broadband in Puerto Rico. This LTE-Advanced trial is another example of the companies’ joint commitment to innovation and continuous telecommunications development in the country. Ericsson is present today in all high-traffic LTE markets, including the United States, Japan, and South Korea, and is ranked first for handling the most global LTE traffic. In addition, forty percent of the world’s total mobile traffic is carried over Ericsson networks. More than 270 LTE RAN and Evolved Packet Core networks have been delivered worldwide, of which 200 are live commercially. To learn more: Mobile Network Test: Ericsson Lean Carrier Verified In Telstra 4G LTE Service Ericsson innovation applies 5G concept for up to 50% higher speed on 4G LTE smartphones Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies successfully test 1 Gbps for Telstra Ericsson unleashes Gigabit LTE and creates Hyperscale Cloud RAN Uruguay looks to increase tech sales to Cuba – Cuba, Uruguay Uruguay is looking to increase and diversify its bilateral trade with Cuba, currently largely focused on agriculture and food, to areas such as technology and software. The Uruguayan ambassador to Cuba, Ariel Bergamino, was quoted by news agency EFE, by the occasion of the 34th international fair of Havana, as saying that the two countries are going through an “excellent period.” To Bergamino, “the main challenge” is to extend this good relationship in the diplomatic, political, cultural and academic fields to bilateral trade and investments, EFE reported. In addition to technology, other areas in Cuba listed as being of interest by Uruguay include renewable energies, electrical equipment, infrastructure and consulting. Uruguay is participating in the Havana fair, being held this week in the Cuban capital, specifically to foster a greater presence in the Caribbean nation. The ambassador told EFE that, in the first half of 2016, Uruguayan exports to Cuba reached US$25mn, up 20% from the same period the previous year. Currently, milk is the top Uruguayan product exported to Cuba. OVERALL TRADE Cuba’s weight in Uruguay’s foreign trade is minimal. Uruguay’s main trade partners are China and Brazil, although the latter has been consistently losing ground to China. In 2015, Uruguay’s trade balance showed a deficit of around US$300mn, which represented approximately 0.5% of its GDP, based on exports of US$9.2bn and imports of US$9.5bn, according to data from the Uruguayan chamber of industries. The country exported US$2.14bn to China and imported US$1.76bn. With Brazil, exports were US$1.22bn and imports US$1.73bn, while trade with Argentina included US$403mn in exports and US$1.27bn in imports. Facebook building more mobile ad tools into no-frills Lite app – Regional Facebook is increasingly building mobile advertising tools into Facebook Lite, a stripped-down version of the Android app that was launched last year aimed at users in emerging markets and users accessing from slow networks. “Making it easy to advertise from a mobile phone is especially important in emerging markets,” Facebook chief operating office Sheryl Sandberg said during a conference call with investors. “For businesses operating in areas with weak network connections, we continue to build advertising tools into Facebook Lite, our low bandwidth app, and are making more of them available offline.” Facebook CFO David M. Wehner said that Mexico and Brazil were showing strong growth in terms of subscribers. He underscored that the company was seeing the introduction of low-priced data plans in Mexico, which was one of the driving factors of growth, along with the introduction of Facebook Lite, which consumes less than 1MB of storage. Mexico was one of the first markets to see the launch of the app in June last year, while Venezuela was the first market to see the launch of the Messenger Lite app this year. Facebook posted a 56% hike in revenues in 3Q16 to US$7.01bn, driven by mobile advertising revenue, which rose 70% year-on-year to US$5.7bn. Frost & Sullivan: Brazilian telcos eye growth opportunities in pay TV, broadband – Regional Press release By Frost & Sullivan November 3, 2016 The current Brazilian economic crisis, regulation imbalances for smaller operators, high tax burdens for telecom services, and spectrum and cost limitations for broadband services continue to dampen growth in the Brazilian telecommunications services market, which saw $40.35 billion in revenue in 2015. “We did see a 31.4 percent drop in revenue last year in this market due to depreciation of the local currency,” explains Carina Gonçalves, Digital Transformation Industry Analyst for Frost & Sullivan. “However, we can expect moderate growth over the next few years, with estimated revenues of $46.99 billion expected by 2021, mainly driven by the increasing penetration of pay TV and broadband, rising competitive forces, the rise in multiple-play bundles and value-added services (VAS) offers, and infrastructure investments for the expansion of fiber-optics networks and mobile broadband networks.” According to The Brazilian Total Telecommunications Services Market, a new analysis from Frost & Sullivan’s Digital Transformation team, services providers that are growing above market, such as regional player Algar Telecom and global players like Level 3 and Orange Business, are emphasizing customer service, innovative business strategies and network expansion. While mobile data, fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and Internet protocol television (IPTV) revenue services have double-digit growth compared to 2014 (30.0 percent, 90.8 percent, 58.1 percent, respectively), mobile and fixed-voice services presented significant drops of 11.1 percent and 4.6 percent, respectively. Causes for these drops are related to decreasing mobile termination rates, cost reduction initiatives by consumer and enterprises due to the economic situation, as well as substitution for other types of communication, such as messaging and unified communication & collaboration solutions. “In general, service providers are likely to find more growth opportunities in less penetrated markets, such as pay TV and fixed and mobile broadband, with the rise of small cable TV associations and internet service providers (ISP) in the Brazilian market,” says Gonçalves. “Moreover, over-the-top services are also increasing adoption, stimulating price re-positioning of traditional services. Data and demand for mobile connectivity services are the main drivers for most of these competitive forces.” To connect with our Digital Transformation team, please contact Francesca Valente, Corporate Communications & Marketing LATAM: francesca.valente@frost.com The information presented and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of CANTO and/or its members Copyright 2015 Business News Americas Visit the CANTO website CANTO #67 PICTON STREET, NEWTOWN, PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD, W.I. Tel: (868) 622-3770/4781 Fax:(868) 622-3751 e-mail: cramlal@canto.org Website: www.canto.org