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Movistar Mexico launches first phase of LTE deployment

The LTE journey has begun in Mexico. Telefónica’s Movistar brand has begun deploying LTE across the country, with initial launch plans to cover the areas of Polanco, Ciudad de México; Zapopan, Jalisco; and San Pedro, Nuevo León. The announcement was made by Juan Antonio Abellán, CEO of Telefónica Mexico, during a press conference held in the country.

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Last week, Mexico’s Federal Commission of Telecommunications (Cofetel) voted to adopt the Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT) band plan for the 700 MHz band for mobile services.
As for Movistar, the company said it will invest about $234 million by the end of 2013 to deploy next generation networks. Currently, Movistar Mexico’s mobile networks serves 86,863 people.

Movistar said the first LTE cellsites have already been deployed, demonstrating the company’s commitment. The LTE network is expected to provide mobile data speeds up to 10-times faster than HSPA+ technology.

Movistar expects 2013 to be a growth year while 2014 might be a year when LTE should be more mature and expansion might begin. “We aim Telefónica to lead, making Mexico pioneers in the digital era,” Abellán said.

During the announcement, Movistar also unveiled it was working to expand mobile coverage across subway systems in the country. Abellán said that Telefónica’s growth strategy is to cover the 108 kilometers of tunnels in the public subway in the Federal District, adding that the service would be available beginning next month.

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