With representatives from more than twenty Latin American operators, seven regulatory bodies (including COFETEL and SCT from Mexico) and suppliers for the telecommunications industry, the GSMA Latin American Plenary Meeting 38 was held in Mexico City. The meeting was supported by the National Telecommunications Association (ANATEL) and the Mexican mobile operators Nextel, Telcel and Telefónica.
ANATEL President Enrique Leiva gave the opening speech at the Plenary Meeti
ng. According to Leiva, the mobile industry in Mexico is doing well and industry players expect good annual results for 2012, but they are even more excited about what’s to come. “We share the goal of making Mexico a leader in Latin America and a model for reform and creativity on the global telecommunications market,” said Leiva.
According to Javier Delgado, Chair of the Chief Regulatory Officers Group of GSMA Latin America, the impressive telecommunications revolution has produced both economic and social transformations. Delgado also emphasized that over forty mobile operators in Latin America have launched an agreement to help users to be better informed on the use of roaming. In terms of security, Delgado stated that in July, member operators of GSMA LA began to exchange information in order to block phones reported as stolen in the different countries of the region.
Andrés de la Cruz Vielma, the General Director of Telecommunications and Radio Broadcasting Policies for the Mexican Communications and Transport Department, was also a speaker in the plenary. According to Vielma, “The administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto has added several important items to its agenda: telecommunications, telephony, data services, television and radio. The goal is to provide Mexicans with more options, higher quality and better prices. These measures seek to guarantee the right of all Mexicans to access broadband services.”
Sebastián Cabello, Director of GSMA Latin America, mentioned that one of the key issues for the mobile industry is the increase of data services given that the average level of penetration of voice-based services in the region is over 100%. In September of this year, there were over 97 million mobile broadband connections and according to estimates, that number is now above 100 million. “In Latin America, people mainly connect to Internet on mobile networks,” said Cabello.
At the same time, Cabello focused on how important it is to advance with spectrum assignment in all the countries of the region to allow operators to offer value-added services. It is also important to work together in order to harmonize policies across the region. GSMA praises Mexico’s efforts to try to get all of Latin America to join the 700 MHz band plan, efforts that should continue in the future.
Juan José Ludlow, the coordinator of the COFETEL Presidential Advisors, listed the achievements and shared the agenda he envisions for the commission, that includes efforts to continue with calls for tender that are already underway. Ludlow also spoke of the need to promote competition, increase infrastructure, more efficient use of infrastructure, reduce costs and optimize prices. He concurred with GSMA members on the need to assign more spectrum in order to offer more and improved mobile services.
The GSMA Plenary Session also included a panel where high-level executives from Nextel, Telcel and Telefónica shared their vision of the Mexican mobile market and the challenges facing the new administration in terms of regulation. A round table with Daniel Bernal Salazar (Vice-Director of Regulatory Affairs at América Móvil), Miguel Calderón (Vice-President of Strategy and Regulation at Telefónica México) and Gustavo Cantú (Corporate Vice-President at Nextel Mexico) was held to discuss how to ensure continued investments in networks.
The GSMA LA Plenary Meeting #38 started on Monday, December 10 with a full day of workshops about current and new topics under debate of the mobile industry globally: Mobile Money and m-Health, Privacy, Rich Communication Services, Border Roaming, Mobile Disasters’ Response and Near Field Communications.
Then, on Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 the plenary was closed with sessions of GSMA LA four working groups, that featured presentations of operator experts: Regulatory (REGU), Roaming and Billing (BARG), Technical and Terminals (TECT), and Security and Fraud (SEGF).
Resources
Pictures: Photo gallery of the event.
Media: Press Coverage.
Click in the links to download the presentations of the Workshops:
- W1 – mMoney Transfer
- W2 – mHealth
- W3 – Privacy
- W4 – Border Roaming
- W5 – Rich Communication Services
- W6 – Near field communication
- W7 – Disaster response
For presentations of the Plenary and GSMA LA Working Groups go to the links in Infocentre::
- Plenary session
- Regulatory (REGU)
- Billing & Roaming (BARG LA)
- Technical and Terminals (TECT)
- Security and Fraud (SEGF)