Argentina's Auction Puts Pressure on Incumbents

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The long-awaited implementation of mobile number portability and the release of spectrum in the 850MHz and 1900MHz frequency bands is expected to have a very positive effect for Argentinean consumers as new players enter the market and add more pressure on established operators, according to a new report from Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com).

Argentina: Affordable Mobile Broadband Access Is Key to Operator Growth offers a precise profile of the country's telecommunications, media and technology sectors based on proprietary data from Pyramid's research in the market. It provides a detailed competitive analysis of both the fixed and mobile sectors, tracks the market shares of technologies and services and monitors the introduction and spread of new technologies.

Download an excerpt or purchase the report here.

“Nextel Argentina, which until now has only operated radio services, is expected to be one of the most favored parties in this process as it gains access to 3G spectrum and launches data services,” says Pyramid Research Analyst, Eulalia Marin-Sorribes. Established operators Claro and Personal could also benefit from this process because they have not yet reached the 50MHz spectrum limit imposed by the regulator. In the meantime, Movistar, which has already reached the spectrum limit imposed by the government, will have to wait for a second spectrum tender in the 1700MHz and 2100MHz bands, which will be released during the process of digital television transition.

Looking beyond 3G, Argentina has been the second country in Latin America after Chile to test LTE technology. “It is expected that this technology will not be commercially available until the end of 2012, although its uptake will depend on the future availability spectrum and 4G handsets,” she notes.

Argentina: Affordable Mobile Broadband Access Is Key to Operator Growth is part of Pyramid Research's Latin America Intelligence Report Series and is priced at $990. Download an excerpt or purchase the report here. For more information, contact Jarka Justova (for those in EMEA or Asia-Pacific) or Lorena Marani (for those in Latin America or North America).

Pyramid Research