Nextel capex totaled $304M in second quarter

With presences in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Peru, NII Holdings Inc. said it plans to continue to invest in the expansion of the coverage and capacity of its networks and develop and deploy third-generation networks. Consolidated second-quarter 2011 capital expenditures totaled US $304 million, with $210 million of that amount invested in Brazil and Mexico and $129 million of that amount invested in the company’s third- generation networks.Nextel said it added 382,000 net subscribers to its network in the second quarter, bringing its subscriber base to more than 9.8 million, a 20% increase compared to second-quarter 2010. Financial results for the quarter included consolidated operating revenues of US $1.75 billion, 29% more compared to the same period last year. The company’s consolidated OIBDA (Operating Income Before Depreciation And Amortization) totaled US $473 million, a 36% increase.

In a statement, NII Holdings CEO Steve Dussek said that “strong operational metrics and focus on profitable growth drove the highest level of quarterly OIBDA in its history.” Nextel is preparing to launch push-to-talk (PTT) service on its W-CDMA network in Peru and deploy 3G networks in Brazil, Mexico and Chile.

Nextel has on of the highest average revenue per user among Latin American carriers. In the second quarter, NII Holdings presented a consolidated ARPU of US $51, up $4 when compared to the same period last year. The company attributed this to improving local currency exchange rates. Churn for the second quarter was 1.71%, consistent with the level reported for the same period last year.

Related content – check out other financial results:

Telefónica Group’s net profit drops 16.3% in first-half 2011, but Latin America grows 18.4%
Ericsson Latin America’s sales up 17%
Telmex’s net income and revenue fell in second quarter
América Móvil earnings increased 14.1% in second quarter

>>> Follow RCR Wireless Americas on Twitter: @RCRAmericas