Latin America LTE Spectrum Trends, Network and Business Considerations, and Demand Forecast

Summary Twenty-five LTE networks have been launched in Latin America, and LTE adoption will slowly take off. Pyramid Research expects 1.9m LTE subscriptions for year-end 2013 and 71m for 2018. This Telecom Insider examines the current status of LTE in Latin America, focusing on Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. The report examines supply and demand constraints Latin American mobile operators face as they deploy LTE, with case studies analyzing the strategies of market participants; it concludes with a summary of key findings and a set of recommendations. Key Findings As of August 2013, 25 LTE networks had been commercially launched in Latin America, and as more 4G auctions take place in the coming years, LTE adoption will take off, albeit at a slow pace. In the short term, supply constraints such as backhaul capacity have the greatest impact on the development of LTE, but demand constraints such as device affordability will grow in significance. For the end of 2013, Pyramid Research forecasts there will be 1.9m LTE subscriptions in the region. This figure will grow at a CAGR of 105.6% between 2013 and 2018, to reach 71m subscriptions in 2018. The first section of this Telecom Insider Report examines the current status of LTE in the region. We focus on the major Latin American mobile markets: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. The report then identifies and describes region-specific supply and demand constraints that Latin American operators face before and during the initial phase of their LTE deployments. The report presents case studies that depict the strategies being implemented by different LTE-market participants to address these challenges. We then conclude with a summary of key findings and a set of recommendations. Synopsis NA