G* roll-out info
From the September 27, 1999, issue of Wireless Week
Dancing To A Latin Rhythm
By Brad Smith
NEW ORLEANS--When the discussion turns to third-generation wireless technology, one region of the world often gets left
out. Europe, the United States and Asia typically get all the attention. Latin American carriers, on the other hand, might be
singing--in some addled spinoff from the musical "Evita"--"Don't Forget Me, 3G."
Despite its economic upheavals in the past few years, Latin America still is an important, even explosive marketplace for
wireless growth. Mexico provides just one example of a trend toward capacity needs and subscriber sophistication.
Government officials there are complaining to carriers about busy signals and service problems. For instance, Mexico's
communications minister, Carlos Ruiz Sacristan, recently told cellular carriers in his country he wants them to rapidly expand
their networks so they can handle 400,000 new subscribers a month. (The number of Mexican cellular subscribers has grown
64 percent in the first seven months of 1999, from 3.3 million to 5.4 million.) He also urged them to convert to digital.
The same story is being repeated throughout the region, according to several presenters at PCIA's PCS '99 Latin America
conference last week. The area is becoming an important market for infrastructure manufacturers.
Nearly all analysts have underestimated the value of Latin America, a Lucent market systems engineer, Chun-Der Wu, told a
panel. Wu says the growth in infrastructure contracts in the region has surprised many market watchers--increasing 31 percent
during the past 18 months. No region can compare with that growth, he says.
Karl Andersson, business development director for Ericsson in the Americas, says the next generation of wireless will be
important. There is an increasing migration from wired to wireless networks in the region and customers will want the
applications 3G will enable.
Attendance at the Latin America conference was hurt this year because of bad weather in the Caribbean, which wreaked
havoc with international flights that connected through Miami. A similar occurrence last year with Hurricane Georges disrupted
the last day of the PCS '98 show while this year it was Tropical Storm Harvey that caused problems.
The audience for several sessions was obviously sparse, and PCIA President Jay Kitchen mentioned that the opening Tuesday
was delayed to allow a little extra time for late arrivals.
Kitchen says 70 countries were represented at PCS '99 and that PCIA sees Latin America playing an increasing role in the
global wireless industry. He says the region is seeing enormous change in wireless, providing new opportunities but also
challenges.
Among the companies joining the Latin American bandwagon is satellite carrier Globalstar LP, which plans to launch its voice
and data service in two South American countries at the same time it launches in the United States next month. The company's
Latin American marketing director, Andres Castro, says Argentina and Brazil will be brought up at the same time as the U.S.,
followed by Mexico at year's end, and then the rest of Central and South America next year.
Should this pace keep up, perhaps Latin America won't have to sing show tunes to get attention after all.
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