José Otero, Director of Latin America & the Caribbean, 4G AMERICAS
Ahead of LTE Latin America 2015 in Rio de Janeiro next month, Informa’s LTE World Series team sat down with José Otero, Director of Latin America and the Caribbean at 4G Americas, to discuss the present and future of LTE in the region.
Luiz Felipe Barros, Brazil Country Manager, Viber
Latin America is a promising market for OTTs and data consumption, but that doesn’t mean lost revenue for operators and MNOs in the region. In this exclusive interview for the LTE World Series Blog, Luiz Felipe Barros, Brazil Country Manager at Viber, tells us about the opportunities in partnership between MNOs and OTT players.
One of the featured keynote speakers at the 6th Annual LTE Latin America conference and exhibition, Luiz Felipe sat down with us to give us a quick summary of his key message eat this year’s show.
Nestor Bergero, chief technology officer for Nextel Brasil
Nestor Bergero, chief technology officer for Nextel Brasil is speaking at the LTE Latin America conference, taking place on the 28th-30th April 2014, at the Windsor Barra Hotel, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ahead of the show we get a brief update on its LTE network status.
What is the status of your LTE roll-out and how big an impact will it make on your customers in 2014?
So far our LTE Network has been deployed in the M Band on 1800MHZ in Rio de Janeiro where we have strong brand recognition. We are also very successful in the post-paid segment with 3G. Currently we are looking for an LTE license for São Paulo.
Artur Coimbra, Broadband Department, Director, MINISTERIO DAS COMUNICAÇÕES, Brazil
Artur Coimbra, Broadband Department, Director, MINISTERIO DAS COMUNICAÇÕES, Brazil is taking part in a regulator panel discussion entitled : “Spectrum Consolidation and Challenges and Opportunities for LTE Success”, taking place at the LTE Latin America conference on the 28th-30th April 2014, at the Windsor Barra Hotel, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ahead of the show we speak to him about his vision for the future of telcoms in Brazil.
What your vision for the future of Brazil’s telecommunications in the next few years?
Mobile telecommunications in Brazil will keep growing as the major vehicle of Internet access to the population, especially for those who are looking to gain access to the Internet for the first time. That will happen naturally. On the other hand, despite some investment in optical fibre, local networks will be made to support 4G deployment and usage—we think that the growth of FTTx technologies will not increase at the same level as 4G access, for example. Therefore we think a number of incentives will be needed to foster fixed broadband access networks growth.
Marcel Della Negra, Online Director at FOX International Channels is taking part in a panel discussion entitled, “Strategic Partnerships for the Market Development”, on Day Two of the LTE LATAM conference, taking place on the 28th-30th April 2014, at the Windsor Barra Hotel, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
With the rise of mobile data, how are customer expectations of content changing?
Customers are now increasingly starting to watch full TV episodes on mobile and it is my expectation that this will increase even further with 4G.
What impact is the rise of LTE having on your decisions?
The rise of LTE is driving the move to video on demand, and watching live transmissions over IP.
Eduardo Tude, President of Teleco
Eduardo Tude, President of consultancy Teleco will be speaking on LTE roaming at the LTE Latin America conference, taking place on the 28th-30th April 2014, at the Windsor Barra Hotel, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ahead of the conference we find out his views on how the 4G market will progress in Brazil in 2014 and how LTE will change the user experience.
What progress will be made in the nascent LTE market in Brazil and the wider LATAM region in 2014?
There are LTE networks in 13 countries in Latin America and Brazil, reaching one million 4G subscribers in 2013. The price of 4G smartphones is still the main obstacle for 4G diffusion in LATAM. Teleco expected that Brazil will end 2014 with five million 4G subscribers.
Is there still growth in voice and SMS in the region or will the focus switch to data?
Voice and SMS are still growing in some countries, even in Brasil, but a lower rate. Operators are changing their focus to data services building 3G and 4G networks.
Farès Nassar, President, ON TELECOM BRASIL
Fares Nassar is President of On Telecom Brazil, a new operator looking to improve the quality of broadband access for Brazilians. Nasar is taking part in the CxO panel discussion on Day One of the LTE Latin America conference, taking place on the 28th-30th April 2014, at the Windsor Barra Hotel, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ahead of the show we find a bit more about the new venture and the impact it hopes to have on the country in the year of the World Cup.
Please tell me a little about On Telecom?
On Telecom is a new operator, founded by industry veterans, with the mission of providing high-quality broadband Internet access to residences and businesses using the most advanced wireless broadband technology to date, TD-LTE. On has spectrum concessions throughout the state of São Paulo, Brazil and has already started deploying its services in 2013 in five cities.
How big a hunger is there for 4G in Brazil?
Brazil, despite being one of the world 10 largest economies, seriously lags in terms of true broadband connectivity. Both in terms of number of broadband accesses as well as in average broadband speed, Brazil´s ranking is below 70th. New applications such as IPTV, tele-education, gaming and rich social media are further fueling the demand for quality broadband connectivity, and Brazilians rank very high in terms of usage of such services and applications. The infrastructure must now follow to cope with the exploding demand.
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