Customers use UMTS / HSDPA wireless internet access in their mobile phones in Latin America will continue to grow despite the economic crisis and devaluation of local currencies as leading teams, said on Monday an association of operators.
There are currently 41 networks of third generation mobile phones in about twenty countries in Latin America, but many have only local coverage.
"Today there are 455 million mobile phone users in Latin America and just over one percent of them use the new applications," stated Erasmo Rojas, head for Latin America and the Caribbean of 3G Americas. "But the demand for private and corporate clients and continues to push operators are increasingly demanding," he said in an interview with Reuters.
Large-scale operations, once recovered their investment in the second generation networks are leading the deployment of 3G networks in Latin America.
America Movil, the leading operator in Latin America, offers UMTS / HSDPA in 13 markets, including Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil and Chile.
Followed by Spanish Telefonica, which has networks UMTS / HSDPA in six countries, although it has tested virtually all of its markets and has experience with new technology in Europe.
According to the consulting firm Informa Telecoms & Media, at the end of 2008 there were five million UMTS customers in Latin America, still a modest figure compared to the more than 15 million UMTS devices in Spain.
"In Mexico, only networks in some urban areas, but is scheduled to be auctioned this semester of new licenses for third generation networks that should boost the take-up of new mobile Internet services in a market of 109 million people," said Rojas.
One of the more developed markets for UMTS is Brazil, which has 40 percent of broadband users in mobile telephony in the region.
"We need cheaper terminals and perhaps less sophisticated applications such as GPS for our market. But I think the industry is already taking a step in this direction," said Rojas.
The manager of 3G Americas said that current prices near $ 500 for a "smartphone" is very high for a region where 80 percent of customers use prepaid services to control their costs.
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