News from Venezuela!
Long article follows, from Venezuela newspaper El Nacional, dated 11February, says Venezuela gateway to officially open on 15February and provide service to Venezuela, Columbia, Suriname, Martinique and Guadeloupe. Anticipates 7-10K subs within 12 months plus a plan to install 1000 public (fixed) phones. Also implies (though I think incorrectly) that two GWs in Brazil, one in Peru and one in Argentina are already operating.
Thanks to El Nacional
el-nacional.com
and Alta Vista for translation.
Now, why couldn't G*/Lor IR/PR get some of this information out?
"STRATEGY AND BUSINESSES
The initial investment was of $30 million
Globalstar sends to the next Tuesday new system of satelite telecommunication
The next Tuesday 15, this company that offers to give movable telephone cover to all
the corners of Venezuela, Colombia, Suriname, Martinica and Guadalupe, by means of
the use of 3 located tracking antennas to 8 kilometers of Small Rio will take officially
operations
As of the next Tuesday 15, nor a single corner of national geography will be excluded
from the network of telecommunications, because Globalstar will put into operation a
system of global personal telephony through satellite that will allow to those who are in
the corners the more separated from the country to communicate as much internally
as towards any nation of the world. Thus it presented it Maritza Escalona, chief of a
main directorate of this company.
The initial investment of 30 million dollars will allow to offer this service not only in
Venezuela but in Colombia, Suriname, Martinica and Guadalupe, also counting for it
with 3 located tracking antennas to 8 kilometers of Chico River. From there, president
Hugo Ch vez Fr¡as will be able to state the goodness of this new satelite service when
doing the first call that will mark the formal starting of activities of this company in
Venezuela.
Globalstar LP, to 10 years of operation, is conformed by more than 12 international
companies of the most important of the sector telecommunications (suppliers and
operators), between which they emphasize Vodaphone, France Telecom and Te.sa.m.
This last one has constructed in more than 30 countries the earth stations, like the one
of Venezuela.
In Latin America, they count on 2 stations in Brazil, 1 in Argentina and another one in
Peru. Next another one in Manaos will rise, in the from Rio de Janeiro nation.
Scallion explained that the system of movable telephony can arrive at where they do not
do the cellular ones because it works with tracks of satellites and not with cells. For
example, by means of this technology it is possible to communicate when one happens
through a tunnel at where the cellular telephony does not arrive, in the border zones, or
on the high seas. At the moment the company is in the phase of test of cover and next
they will give beginning to the precommercial phase. " the user who buys the service
now, will use the telephone without paying nothing until April when he begins himself to
invoice the benefit of the service ".
In principle two models of telephones will be offered, whose prices oscillate between
1,300 and 1,600 dollars. And the cost of the service will be of 1.50 dollars per minutes.
During the presale, it indicated the executive, will offer special plans for the acquisition
of the terminal equipment, because the business is not in the sale of the telephones but
in the traffic of calls. Another advantage that offers is that roaming will be automatic
since the same telephone is used and the tariffs in this case are quite competitive,
could even get to be lower than with the cellular technology.
The chief of a main directorate of Globalstar said that in Venezuela she will work with
technology GSM, smart card, which will allow to offer services of added value, like
reception of electronic mails, stock-exchange information, among others, with which
the telephone will be used for something more than transmission of voice. The use of
this smart card also provides greater security inasmuch as the information of the user
is in her and not in the apparatus. The transmission will become by means of the
system CDMA, that contributes to greater clearness of the voice and reliability.
Scallion notices that Globalstar does not come to compete with the companies that
offer service of cellular telephony but rather it looks for to extend the advantages. That
is to say, to allow the user to communicate from any point of the country towards any
place of the world, by remote or hidden that is.
As far as the goal of pick up of market, it said that in the first 12 months of operations
they hope to tell on 7,000 10,000 users, which in its majority would be in target
corporative, executive and of high middle-class.
Telephones public
Annually the company will invest in the operative and advertising part around 5 million
dollars, according to indicated the director of the company, that indicated that the idea
is to grow without haste but without pause in this competed market.
Taking into account that this service is a little more expensive for the user who the
cellular one, Globalstar has contemplated to offer the prepayment option that has been
so successful for other companies of telephony in the country.
It also explained Scallion that the company will operate so much the movable telephony,
as fixed and the public one. The fixed one will be lent to those companies that are
operating in moved away zones of the populated centers and that they require of this
service for his daily activities. To them a more competitive tariff will be facilitated to
them one more.
As far as the public telephony, it insisted on which the traditional companies of
telecommunications usually make their investments in the populated centers and leave
it go to those regions or zones little inhabited because the operation costs very are
elevated. In such sense, it honors the executive who - although 50% of the population of
the world seem incredible does not count on telephone service
Globalstar has a project pilot for the installation of 1,000 units of telephones public, who
fundamentally could be located in tourist zones. " we have thought, for example, that
the owners of the inns could count on the terminal and act like distributors of cards,
which would allow them to make an extra money. The problem would not be the cost of
the minute but of the terminals here. Those are the details that we are sharpening "."
ESTRATEGIA Y NEGOCIOS
La inversi¢n inicial fue de $30 millones
Globalstar lanza el pr¢ximo martes nuevo sistema de
telecomunicaci¢n satelital
El pr¢ximo martes 15, arrancar oficialmente operaciones esta empresa que ofrece dar
cobertura telef¢nica m¢vil a todos los rincones de Venezuela, Colombia, Suriname,
Martinica y Guadalupe, mediante el uso de 3 antenas rastreadoras ubicadas a 8
kil¢metros de Rio Chico
Florencia Tovar
A partir del pr¢ximo martes 15, ni un solo rinc¢n de la geograf¡a nacional quedar excluido de la red de
telecomunicaciones, pues Globalstar pondr en funcionamiento un sistema de telefon¡a personal global a
trav‚s de sat‚lite que permitir a quienes est‚n en los rincones m s apartados del pa¡s comunicarse tanto
internamente como hacia cualquier naci¢n del mundo. As¡ lo dio a conocer Maritza Escalona, directora
general de esta compa¤¡a.
La inversi¢n inicial de 30 millones de d¢lares permitir ofrecer este servicio no s¢lo en Venezuela sino
tambi‚n en Colombia, Suriname, Martinica y Guadalupe, contando para ello con 3 antenas rastreadoras
ubicadas a 8 kil¢metros de R¡o Chico. Desde all¡, el presidente Hugo Ch vez Fr¡as podr constatar las
bondades de este nuevo servicio satelital al hacer la primera llamada que marcar el arranque formal de
actividades de esta empresa en Venezuela.
Globalstar LP, con 10 a¤os de funcionamiento, est conformada por m s de 12 compa¤¡as
internacionales de las m s importantes del sector telecomunicaciones (proveedores y operadores), entre
las cuales destacan Vodaphone, France Telecom y Te.sa.m. Esta £ltima ha construido en m s de 30
pa¡ses las estaciones terrenas, como la de Venezuela.
En Am‚rica Latina, cuentan con 2 estaciones en Brasil, 1 en Argentina y otra en Per£. Pr¢ximamente se
levantar otra en Manaos, en la naci¢n carioca.
Escalona explic¢ que el sistema de telefon¡a m¢vil puede llegar a donde no lo hacen los celulares porque
trabaja con huellas de sat‚lites y no con celdas. Por ejemplo, mediante esta tecnolog¡a es posible
comunicarse cuando uno pasa a trav‚s de un t£nel a donde no llega la telefon¡a celular, en las zonas
fronterizas, o en alta mar. Actualmente la compa¤¡a est en la fase de prueba de cobertura y
pr¢ximamente dar n inicio a la fase precomercial. "El usuario que compre ahora el servicio, usar el
tel‚fono sin pagar nada hasta abril cuando se comenzar a facturar la prestaci¢n del servicio".
En principio se ofrecer n dos modelos de tel‚fonos, cuyos precios oscilan entre 1.300 y 1.600 d¢lares.
Y el costo del servicio ser de 1,50 d¢lares por minutos. Durante la preventa, se¤al¢ la ejecutiva, se
ofrecer n planes especiales para la adquisici¢n de los equipos terminales, porque el negocio no est en la
venta de los tel‚fonos sino en el tr fico de llamadas. Otra ventaja que ofrece es que el roaming ser
autom tico puesto que se utiliza el mismo tel‚fono y las tarifas en este caso son bastante competitivas,
incluso podr¡an llegar a ser m s bajas que con la tecnolog¡a celular.
La directora general de Globalstar dijo que en Venezuela se trabajar con tecnolog¡a GSM, con tarjeta
inteligente, lo que permitir ofrecer servicios de valor agregado, como recepci¢n de correos
electr¢nicos, informaci¢n burs til, entre otras, con lo cual el tel‚fono servir para algo m s que
transmisi¢n de voz. El uso de esta tarjeta inteligente tambi‚n proporciona mayor seguridad por cuanto la
informaci¢n del usuario est en ella y no en el aparato. La transmisi¢n se har mediante el sistema
CDMA, que aporta mayor nitidez de la voz y confiabilidad.
Escalona advierte que Globalstar no viene a competir con las empresas que ofrecen servicio de
telefon¡a celular sino m s bien busca extender las ventajas. Es decir, permitirle al usuario comunicarse
desde cualquier punto del pa¡s hacia cualquier lugar del mundo, por remoto o escondido que est‚.
En cuanto a la meta de captaci¢n de mercado, dijo que en los primeros 12 meses de operaciones
esperan contar con 7.000 a 10.000 usuarios, los cuales en su mayor¡a estar¡an en el target corporativo,
ejecutivo y de clase media alta.
Tel‚fonos p£blicos
Anualmente la compa¤¡a invertir en la parte operativa y publicitaria alrededor de 5 millones de d¢lares,
seg£n se¤al¢ la directora de la compa¤¡a, quien se¤al¢ que la idea es crecer sin prisa pero sin pausa en
este competido mercado.
Tomando en cuenta que este servicio es un poco m s costoso para el usuario que el celular, Globalstar
tiene contemplado ofrecer la opci¢n de prepago que ha sido tan exitosa para otras empresas de telefon¡a
en el pa¡s.
Explic¢ Escalona tambi‚n que la compa¤¡a operar tanto la telefon¡a m¢vil, como la fija y la p£blica. La
fija se prestar a aquellas empresas que est‚n operando en zonas alejadas de los centros poblados y que
requieran de este servicio para sus actividades cotidianas. A ellas se les facilitar una tarifa m s
competitiva.
En cuanto a la telefon¡a p£blica, hizo hincapi‚ en que las compa¤¡as tradicionales de telecomunicaciones
suelen realizar sus inversiones en los centros poblados y dejan fuera a aquellas regiones o zonas poco
habitadas pues los costos de operaci¢n son muy elevados. En tal sentido, destaca la ejecutiva que
-aunque parezca incre¡ble- 50% de la poblaci¢n del mundo no cuenta con servicio telef¢nico.
Globalstar tiene un proyecto piloto para la instalaci¢n de 1.000 unidades de tel‚fonos p£blicos, los
cuales fundamentalmente podr¡an estar ubicados en zonas tur¡sticas. "Hemos pensado, por ejemplo, que
los due¤os de las posadas podr¡an contar con el terminal y actuar como distribuidores de las tarjetas, lo
cual les permitir¡a ganar un dinero extra. El problema aqu¡ no ser¡a el costo del minuto sino de los
terminales. Esos son los detalles que estamos afinando". |
