Telcel claims CFC $1 bn fine is illegal (Mexico)
Telcel is considering the fine imposed by competition watchdog CFC as illegal, arbitrary, opportunistic and excessive.
Telcel was recently ordered to pay a US$1 billion fine by the country’s competition watchdog.
According to Telcel, it will use legal means to fight against that decision. In addition to the motion for reconsideration to be submitted to the CFC, Telcel examines other actions against the decision which it called “unfounded” and “arbitrary”.
Telmex to deploy 18 free Wi-Fi hotspots in Aguascalientes (Mexico)
Telmex will partner with the local authorities in the state of Aguascalientes to deployed three Wi-Fi hotspots across the state.
Aguascalientes customers will now be able to access mobile broadband services free of charge from their mobile phones or laptops. Overall, Telmex plans to deploy around 18 hotspots in Aguascalientes.
Huawei China credit opens doors in Brazil, Mexico
When Brazil’s biggest land-line company, Tele Norte Leste Participacoes SA was buying for network equipment last year, Huawei Technologies Co.’s offer had an edge: access to China Development Bank’s $30 billion credit line.
According to Tele Norte Chief Financial Officer Alex Zornig, a two-year grace period on payments and an interest rate of 2 percentage points over the London interbank offered rate created an unbeatable deal. The Chinese are filling the space left empty by Americans and Europeans. They are very aggressive and they have a lot of money.
China Development Bank’s support for Huawei and other Chinese companies is the cornerstone of the country’s “going out” policy, meant to nurture companies in telecommunications, alternative energy and oil. The bank’s low-interest loans dwarf those offered by U.S. and European development agencies, helping Shenzhen-based Huawei and crosstown rival ZTE Corp. increase market share.
Telcel offers Motorola Atrix smartphone (Mexico)
Telcel has introduced Motorola Atrix smartphone on the local market. The Atrix MB-861 runs on Android and comes equipped with a 1 GHz dual-core CPU and 1 GB of DDR2 memory.
The smartphone can also be docked in the ‘lap dock’ to turn the smartphone into a laptop and the HD multimedia dock allows users to use it as a multimedia centre to connect to a PC or TV.
The device is also equipped with fingerprint security, a 4-inch screen, 5-megapixel camera, 16 GB of built-in memory, and 5 GHz Wi-Fi connectivity. Motorola Atrix will be available through Telcel at the end of April. Pricing details will be released soon.
Motorola offers Defy smartphone in Mexico
Motorola Mobility has launched the Motorola Defy with Motoblur in Mexico.
The Android smartphone features a 3.7-inch touchscreen and is water and dust resistant. Starting end-April, Motorola Defy will be available in Mexico from Telcel.
Motorola extends iDEN handset supply agreement with Nextel (US)
Motorola Mobility and Nextel have extended a supplier agreement in which Motorola will supply iDEN handsets to Nextel through 2014.
For the past 14 years, Nextel and Motorola have jointly provided iDEN services to subscribers in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru. Nextel’s iDEN network currently serves over nine million subscribers in Latin America.
Additionally, the extended contract also broadens the scope of the supply agreement to also provide a range of new handsets and services for Nextel’s next-generation networks including PTT and 3G enabled handsets and exciting devices and accessories, such as the Motorola Xoom tablet.
America Movil to appeal US$1 bn antitrust fine (Mexico)
America Movil prepares to appeal the record US$1 billion fine it recently received in Mexico. America Movil has been ordered to pay approximately US$1 billion fine by Mexican competition watchdog Federal Competition Commission (CFC) for alleged monopoly practices.
According to the company, America Movil and Telcel are currently analyzing the scope and legal grounds of said resolution in order to exercise any and all applicable legal remedies.
Buongiorno inks definitive deal with Dada.net
Buongiorno S.p.A. has signed a definitive agreement to purchase 100% of the shares of Dada.net S.p.A.
The settlement price for the acquisition of Dada.net S.p.A. is equivalent to US$40.52 million, in addition to the consolidated net financial position of Dada.net S.p.A. at the specified closing date.
Through this deal, Buongiorno will reinforce its global leadership as a provider of mobile-connected life solutions, increasing its market share in the B2C segment in several markets, particularly in North America.
The transaction is expected to results in around 150 new employees joining Buongiorno’s team, including Massimilano Pellegrini, Dada.net S.p.A. CEO, who will join Buongiorno’s Executive Team. Buongiorno has undertaken to keep the employment level unchanged for a period of at least 18 months after the closing date, and draw upon the professional competencies and expertise of Dada.net’s employees.
The cash price that Buongiorno will pay to Dada.net S.p.A. will be funded by liquidity and new lines of credit, for which the Company has already obtained the commitment of the financing banks.
The transaction is expected to be closed within 90 days following the signing date.
Dada.net operates in 16 countries: Italy, the USA, Canada, Germany, France, Portugal, Australia, Spain, Belgium, Austria, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Hungary, Indonesia, and South Africa.
The acquisition of Dada.net is fully in line with the strategic objectives of Buongiorno, aimed at growing the business through both market share in “traditional” B2C and B2B services, and through new service development, particularly in the smartphone and App Store sectors.
TomTom launches map database globally (Germany)
TomTom has launched its map database globally. TomTom has launched the version 2011.03 of MultiNet that covers nearly 34 million kilometres across 103 countries, extending coverage to 3.3 billion people worldwide.
In Latin America, the street network in Brasilia (Brazil), Grand Cordoba (Argentina) and Los Cabos, Merida and Xalapa (Mexico) have been improved.
Additionally, French Guiana is available as a MultiNet product providing street network coverage. The street network in India was also extended, adding 5,800 km across 66 new cities.
In addition to coverage expansion, over 7,000 km in Brazil and over 5,000 km in Russia were realigned to further validate the street network. Finally, in Africa, topographic features were added in Zambia and improvements to the street network were realized in five major Moroccan cities.
TomTom has also introduces advanced features in its enhancement products. Speed Profiles are available in Brazil, providing historical traffic information. The Address Points product includes coverage in the Czech Republic, India, Indonesia and Malaysia and an additional 500,000 Address Points are available in the United States and 120,000 in Russia. The addition of 50 new 3D Landmarks and more than 100 new Landmark Icons throughout the Asia Pacific region, along with nine new 2D City Maps in Russia extend display capabilities globally. Voice Maps are available in Liechtenstein, allowing speech technology to be integrated into map applications.
Telmex installs Wi-Fi hotspot in Tonala municipality (Mexico)
Telmex has installed a free Wi-Fi hotspot in the Tonala municipality. Tonala customers can now access Telmex’s ‘Internet WiFi Movil en Infinitum’ service.
