Venezuela's Movilnet Not Dropping TDMA Technology - Exec
- Both articles- from DJ 4/11/01
Venezuela's Movilnet Not Dropping TDMA Technology - Exec
CARACAS -- Venezuela's Movilnet, the cellular unit of CA Nacional Telefonos de Venezuela (VNT), or CANTV, isn't planning on changing its cellular data platform from time division multiple access, or TDMA, a company executive said.
Enzo Pittari, Movilnet's vice-president of commercial operations, denied a previous report citing an article in local daily El Nacional's Wednesday edition.
Pittari told Dow Jones Newswires late Wednesday Movilnet will stay with TDMA technology at least for the medium term, though it could complement that technology by incorporating in other data transfer platforms such as GSM, or global system for mobile communication, or CDMA, or code-division multiple access, to enhance its the third generation services it's now developing.
The Movilnet official said the company is revising its 2001 business plan, which will include investments of slightly more than $100 million.
Pittari said Movilnet, which is controlled by Verizon Communications (VZ), expects to increase the 1.8 million clients it now has to some 2.5 million by year end.
-By Charles Roth, Dow Jones Newswires; 58 212 564 1339; charles.roth@dowjones.com
Venezuela's Movilnet To Adopt GSM or CDMA This Yr -Report
Dow Jones Newswires
CARACAS -- Venezuela's Movilnet, the cellular unit of CA Nacional Telefonos de Venezuela (VNT), or CANTV, is planning on migrating its cellular data platform away from time division multiple access, or TDMA, local daily El Nacional reported Wednesday.
Officials from Movilnet, controlled by Verizon Communication's (VZ), couldn't be reached for confirmation or comment.
Enzo Pittari, Movilnet's vice-president of commercial operations, said in the report that the company is considering GSM, or global system for mobile communication, as well as CDMA, or code-division multiple access, for its future third generation cellular services.
Bellsouth Corp.'s (BLS) Telcel C.A., which uses CDMA, will likely have about 3.2 million subscribers by the end of 2001, while market observers project that Movilnet, Venezuela's second largest cellular service provider, should amass about 1.8 million customers.
Pittari was quoted as saying a decision on the transfer should come in the months ahead, but didn't say what the cost range would be or how long it would take to effect the transfer.
Telecom Italia's (TI) 57%-owned Venezuelan subsidiary, Corporacion Digitel S.A., is Venezuela's third largest cellular service provider and plans to invest $250 million this year to garner some 860,000 customers by the end of December, up from its current 360,000 customers currently.
Digitel uses GSM technology.
Although about 80% of Venezuela's 24 million people are poor, the country's $4 billion telecommunications market is expected to double in size over the next five years.
-By Charles Roth, Dow Jones Newswires; 58 212 564 1339; charles.roth@dowjones.com |
