DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/6d23e0/paraguay_telecom) has announced the addition of the "Paraguay - Telecoms, Mobile, Broadband and Forecasts" report to their offering.
Paraguay has 14 mobile phones for every fixed line
Paraguay is a landlocked nation in the heart of South America. About one third of the population live below the poverty line, and GDP per capita is one of the lowest in the region. But in 2010, the country's economy grew by 14.5% - the highest growth rate in Latin America and the Caribbean. The country's telecom market has considerable potential, its fixed-line and broadband indicators being among the lowest in Latin America. The outlook for the private sector is positive; in fact, Paraguay is becoming increasingly attractive for foreign investors.
The state-owned incumbent, Corporacin Paraguaya de Comunicaciones (Copaco), has a monopoly over all fixed-line voice services, including local, domestic long distance, international telephony, and VoIP. In the mobile market, instead, there has been competition since 1998. The internet market is also open to competition, and there are over a dozen ISPs offering services. Copaco lost its monopoly over the international backbone for internet connectivity in early 2009.
Copaco is known for inefficiency and corruption, and Paraguay's teledensity is the third lowest in the region after Haiti and Nicaragua.
The inadequacy of the country's fixed-line infrastructure has been a bonanza for mobile telephone operators. There are more than 14 mobile phones in Paraguay for every fixed line in service. This is the greatest difference between fixed and mobile in Latin America.
In mid-2010, Copaco entered the mobile market by acquiring Vox, Paraguay's smallest cellular operator. Copaco was one of the very few incumbent operators in Latin America with no subsidiary, affiliate, or sister company in the mobile sector. Another major change on the horizon is the prospective involvement of Vietnam's Viettel, a telco with a highly successful history, in Paraguay's telecom market. In March 2011, Viettel announced its intention to invest US$100 million in Paraguay's telecom infrastructure through a commercial agreement with Copaco.
Fixed broadband technologies in Paraguay include ADSL, cable modem, FttH, and WiMAX. Speed plans higher than 1Mb/s are prohibitively expensive. Broadband penetration is among the lowest in the region, though the market is growing rapidly, primarily in Asuncin and other major urban centres. WiMAX, previously the predominant broadband technology, has been overtaken by ADSL. But Copaco has a near-monopoly on ADSL services, and there are long waiting periods for new connections. Due to the country's low teledensity, ADSL is unavailable in much of the country.
Copaco's main competitors in the fixed broadband market are Millicom's Tigo with a combination of WiMAX and FttH, and pay TV provider CableVisin with cable modem.
According to the Household Download Index by Ookla, Paraguay has a mean download speed of 1.54Mb/s, which places it 139th out of 170 countries in the world. In Latin America, Paraguay is fifth from the bottom. By comparison, the regional leader, Chile, has a mean download speed of 6.52Mb/s. The world average is 9.15Mb/s.
Paraguay's mobile market is the country's most successful telecom sector, served by four operators: Millicom's Tigo (the market leader), Telecom Argentina's Personal, Amrica Mvil's Claro, and Copaco's Vox.
Key Topics Covered:
1. Executive summary
2. Key statistics
3. Country overview
4. Telecommunications market
5. Regulatory environment
6. Fixed network operators in Paraguay
7. Telecommunications infrastructure
8. Wholesale
9. Fixed broadband access market
10. Convergence
11. Broadcasting
12. Mobile communications
Companies featured
- Copaco
- Tigo (Millicom International Cellular)
- Personal (Ncleo/Telecom Argentina)
- Claro (Amrica Mvil)
- Vox (Hola Paraguay/Copaco)
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/6d23e0/paraguay_telecom