FLORHAM PARK, N.J., March 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ – Global Crossing (Nasdaq: GLBC), a leading global IP solutions provider, today announced it is significantly expanding capacity on its Mid-Atlantic Crossing (MAC®), South American Crossing (SAC®) and Pan American Crossing (PAC®) undersea fiber-optic cable systems to meet rapidly growing demand for Internet Protocol (IP) and Ethernet transport among its enterprise, carrier and service provider customers. These overbuilds will enhance connectivity between Latin America, North America and Europe and will be rolled out over the next six months, with some segments ready for service as early as May 2010.
“The Latin American market is poised to sustain strong growth,” said John Legere, Global Crossing’s CEO. ”The investments we are making are in response to the continued demand Global Crossing is experiencing across our global network for broadband services such as video over IP, social media and content delivery networks.”
Global Crossing’s MAC undersea …
Chile Telecom Network Stands Up Well in Wake of Earthquake
February 28th, 2010Communications systems in Chile, a much more technologically advanced country than Haiti, are strained but still functioning for many in the wake of the earthquake. However, the country’s transportation minister, René Cortázar asked that Chileans limit their use of telephones.
“There’s a problem with communication quality and overload, for which we only ask people to use the phone if it’s completely necessary,” Cortázar is quoted as saying in Argentina’s Buenos Aires Herald newspaper.
Volunteers from the nonprofit group, Télécoms Sans Frontières (Telecommunications Without Borders), which also helped in Haiti after the Jan. 12 quake there, are on their way to Chile, Paul Paul Margie, U.S. representative for the nonprofit group told msnbc.com.
“Our reports are that communications are badly damaged in some areas, so we are sending an emergency telecom team” there, Margie said.
Chileans using Twitter, the short-messaging site that limits posts to 140 characters, urged others to conserve and …
Nearshore ICT: Latam is Poised to Adopt Faster Broadband Says Frost and Sullivan
February 25th, 2010BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ – The year 2009 is over and though every initiative was judged in the shadow of the economic breakdown, we can see now that telecoms entering the IT space was a trend that was solidified in many of the most important Latin American markets.
3G networks were deployed in the region, commercially operating in 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The arrival of the iPhone in regional markets triggered Internet usage and other services, such as application stores. On the other hand, the pay-TV market still holds promise. IPTV did not become a reality yet due to regulatory restrictions, and its slowness has yet to be resolved in many countries. Instead, video on demand has witnessed great advances.
In this scenario, 2010 brings both hope and anxiety. The following are Frost & Sullivan predictions for the year:
#1 Ultra broadband will gain traction.
The new digital …
Alcatel-Lucent Pays Out $137 Million to Settle Costa Rica Bribes Case
February 19th, 2010Alcatel-Lucent SA agreed to pay $137.4 million and change internal procedures to avoid U.S. prosecution for alleged bribes paid in Costa Rica, Taiwan and Kenya, according to a company regulatory filing.
Under an agreement in principle, the Justice Department would defer prosecution of Alcatel on charges it violated the internal controls and books and records provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, according to the Feb. 11 filing. Alcatel would enter into a three-year probationary period and agree to a French anti-corruption monitor.
Three subsidiaries — Alcatel-Lucent France, Alcatel-Lucent Trade and Alcatel Centroamerica — would plead guilty to violating the FCPA’s anti-bribery provisions, according to the filing. Paris-based Alcatel, the world’s biggest supplier of fixed-line phone networks, also agreed in principle on a civil accord with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“There can be no assurances, however, that final agreements will be reached with the agencies or accepted in court,” …
HP’s New Smartbook (and rival to IPad) to Land First in Latin America and Europe
February 15th, 2010Hewlett-Packard’s first smartbook, the Compaq AirLife 100, announced on Friday, could be a rival to Apple’s iPad as the two companies aim to attract buyers looking for netbook alternatives, analysts said.
AirLife is a hybrid laptop that combines the hardware and software usually found in a smartphone with the design of a netbook. It is as portable as a netbook but offers longer battery life of up to 12 hours. Apple will soon start shipping the iPad tablet, a handheld device designed to let users browse the Internet, play games, read e-books and view video content.
Though some features differ, the iPad and AirLife share several characteristics, including simplified software interfaces, similarly sized touch-screen displays, and an emphasis on making it quick and easy to access online content. Both devices also have Arm processors, while most netbooks use Intel processors.
The AirLife includes a 10.1-inch touch screen and comes with Wi-Fi …
Nearshore ICT: Slim Gets his Wish with Mexico Mega-Mobile Merger
February 15th, 2010Mexico’s antitrust body CFC has given the green light to mobile giant América Móvil (NYSE: AMX) to take control of its sister companies, Mexican fixed line operator Telmex (NYSE: TMX) and regional operator Telmex Internacional (NYSE: TII) (Telint), CFC said on its website.
Following a meeting on Thursday (Feb 11), CFC said that as Telmex and América Móvil’s local unit Telcel are part of the same economic group, market competition would not be significantly affected.
Last month, América Móvil said it would offer to exchange 2.0474 of its shares for one share in Carso Global Telecom, which controls 59.4% of Telmex and 60.7% of Telint.
The company will also seek to exchange or buy 39.3% of Telint shares that are not in the hands of Carso, offering 0.373 of its own shares or 11.66 pesos for every Telint share. “The operation notified by Telmex and Telcel is …
Is Carlos Slim Really Committed to Corporate Social Responsibility?
February 9th, 2010He’s tied with Bill Gates for the title of the richest man on the planet. Carlos Slim Helú is perhaps the most famous—or infamous—man in Mexico. Yet few Americans have heard of him, let alone have much idea about the nature of his corporate empire, or how he created it.
For a portrait of this portly, 70-year-old son of Lebanese immigrants, there are a variety of popular opinions to draw from. On the one hand he’s the brilliant businessman and telephone tycoon poised to eclipse Gates on the Forbes list of the world’s most wealthy. Others see him as an opportunistic robber baron and crass monopolist who made his fortune thanks to political favors and weak government regulation. Lately, he has re-tooled his image, highlighting his humble immigrant roots and supposedly modest lifestyle, while also posing as a philanthropist alongside celebrities, from Bill Clinton to Colombian pop singer Shakira …
Tweet This! Mexico Wants to Clamp Down on Social Media
February 3rd, 2010Mexico has racked up its fair share of menacingly named outlaws in a three-year drug war: the Zetas, Aztecas and even a band of female assassins called the Panthers. Now, if the government gets its way, another name will also make the wanted list: los Twitteros.
That’s right. Twitter users are fast becoming public enemy No. 1, at least in Mexico City, where they have angered authorities by warning one another of roadside “alcoholimetro” — or Breathalyzer — checkpoints set up by the police.
But the case against the Twitteros is about more than alcohol.
Mexico is, after all, a country at war — at least according to President Felipe Calderon, who launched the crackdown on drug cartels shortly after taking office. Three years later, the streets of border cities like Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana remain full of soldiers. In many ways, the government is still playing catch-up to the nation’s …
IT Outsourcing is Good News for Recovering Mexican Economy
February 2nd, 2010Companies and Markets project that Mexican IT spending will grow again in 2010 to around US$12.6bn, despite current economic uncertainties, and a decline in private sector credit growth. In a challenging economic climate in H109, consumer sentiment reached an all-time low, and business IT spending fell further, with hardware updates particularly vulnerable to cuts.
While Mexico’s economy faces a rocky ride in the near term, some fundamental drivers including low PC penetration and growing PC affordability, and US corporate demand for IT outsourcing, should ensure continued opportunities. IT spending as a percentage of GDP at around 1.4% remains well below OECD levels, and we project that per capita IT spending will rise from US$116 to US$167 by 2014. In 2010 businesses and consumers are expected to maintain a cautious attitude to IT investments due to economic uncertainty, but there could be a boost, particularly in the second half of the year, …
Caribbean Mobile Carrier Digicel Stays Involved in Haiti Recovery
January 31st, 2010Adding to its more than $5 million cash contribution to Haiti, the Caribbean telecom company, Digicel, distributed supplies this week to nearly 4,000 Haitians camped in the garden of the former Prime Minister’s office in Port-au-Prince.
Relief supplies included T-shirts, powdered milk, oats, tinned food and crackers, as well as medical supplies for the Red Cross to distribute to clinics. Digicel employees also installed a water tank with 400 gallons of drinking water to be refilled every second day, as well as a charging station for mobile phones.
“When we were approached by the leader of the camp, we immediately mobilized our team with the necessary supplies to assist those living in the camp,” said Digicel Haiti Marketing Director Tatiana Policard, “however, this aid distribution is just a drop in the ocean. There are hundreds of thousands of people living in makeshift campsites right across Port- au-Prince who are …
