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Panama to gain more connectivity via the Curie submarine cable
[April 01, 2020]

Panama to gain more connectivity via the Curie submarine cable


Syndey, April 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of Paul Budde Communication’s focus report on Panama outlines the major developments and key aspects in the telecoms markets.
Read the full report: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Panama-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses

Panama has seen a steady increase in revenue from the telecom sector in recent years, including a 2% increase in 2019, year-on-year. Mobile services and broadband remain the key sectors, a trend likely to continue during the next few years in response to operator investments in network upgrades.

Panama’s economic prospects remain promising, with GDP growth during the next few years expected to be above 5%. This growth has encouraged continued investment in the sector, which in 2019 accounted for more than 26% of revenue. Following a period of acquisition activity, the market is dominated a few key players, including Liberty Global’s local unit Cable & Wireless Panamá which provides effective competition to the other regional players Digicel and Claro. Other significant changes to the market include Millicom International having acquired the main cable TV provider Cable Onda for $1 billion at the end of 2018, and its acquisition in February 2019 of Telefónica’s businesses in Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua for $1.7 billion.

The mobile sector has flourished in recent years, with the arrival of Digicel Panamá in 2008 and of América Móvil in 2009 ending the duopoly long enjoyed by Cable & Wireless Panamá and Telefónica’s Movistar. Legislation adopted in early 2018 allowed for market consolidation and the reduction of the market to three players, aimed at making more efficient use of available spectrum. Although the number of players remains the same, Tigo Panama has expanded into the fixed and mobile segment by acquiring Movistar.

Internet penetration has grown in recent years and is expected to do so steadily in coming years, partly through consumers responding to government fixed-line projects but principally through the popularity of mobile broadband connectivity.

Key developments

  • Curie cable linking to Panama makes progress;
  • Telefónica Group sells its Panamanian unit to Millicom International;
  • Digicel Panama secures 700MHz spectrum licence, completes $100 million investment program, launches LTE services;
  • South America Pacific Link cable soon to be ready for service, connecting Panama to the Caribbean and Asian regions;
  • Deep Blue Cable suspends project to extend its pan-Caribbean regional submarine cable system to Panama;
  • Movistar, Claro and C&WP extend reach of LTE services;
  • C&WP trials G-fast technology with Huawei;
  • Broadband for Central America project to close digital divide by end-2020;
  • Report update includes the regulator's market data to December 2019, operator data to Q4 2019, Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, recent market developments.

Companies mentioned in this report

Cable and Wireless Panama, Cable Onda, Claro, Optynex Telecom, Digicel, Movistar

Table of Contents

  • Key Statistics
    • Telecom Maturity Index by tier
      • Market Leaders
      • Market Challengers
      • Market Emergents
      • South America Telecom Maturity Index
      • Central America Telecom Maturity Index
    • TMI versus GDP
    • Mobile and mobile broadband penetration
    • Fixed and mobile broadband penetration
  • Country overview
  • Telecommunications market
    • Historical overview
    • Market analysis
  • Regulatory environment
    • Regulatory authorities
      • ASEP
      • ACODECO
    • Fixed-line developments
      • Privatisation of INTEL
      • Telecom sector liberalisation
      • Interconnect
      • Number Portability (NP)
    • Mobile network developments
      • Spectrum auction – 2008
      • Licence concession – 2013
      • 700MHz spectrum
      • AWS spectrum
      • 1.5GHz
      • Infrastructure sharing
      • Mobile Number Portability (MNP)
  • Mobile market
    • Mobile statistics
      • Mobile data
      • Mobile broadband
    • Mobile infrastructure
      • 5G
      • 4G (LTE)
      • 3G
      • 2G
    • Major mobile operators
      • +Móvil (C&WP)
      • Movistar (elefónica Moviles Panama)
      • Digicel Panamá
      • Claro Panamá (América Móvil)
      • Tigo Panama
  • Fixed-line broadband market
    • Market analysis
      • Broadband statistics
      • Red Nacional de Internet (RNI)
    • Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) networks
    • Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL)
    • G.fast
    • Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP)
    • WiMAX
    • Satellite broadband
  • Digital economy
    • eHealth
  • Fixed network operators
    • Introduction
    • Cable & Wireless Panamá
    • Cable Onda/Telecarrier
      • Advanced Communication Network (ACN)
    • ClaroCOM (Galaxy Communications Corp)
    • Optynex Telecom
    • Movistar
  • Telecommunications infrastructure
    • National telecom network
      • Fixed-line statistics
    • International infrastructure
      • Interconnection with other Central American countries
      • Submarine cable networks
      • Satellite networks
    • Infrastructure developments
      • Wireless Local Loop (WLL)
    • Wholesale
  • Appendix – Historic data
  • Related reports




List of Tables


  • Table 1 – Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities - Panama – 2020 (e)
  • Table 2 – Development of telecom market revenue and investment – 2010 – 2019
  • Table 3 – Development of telecom market revenue by sector – 2010 - 2019
  • Table 4 – Development of telecom market share by sector – 2013 - 2019
  • Table 5 – Change in the number of fixed number portings – 2012 - 2017
  • Table 6 – Change in the number of mobile number portings – 2011 - 2017
  • Table 7 – Change in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration – 2010 - 2025
  • Table 8 – Change in the number of prepaid and contract subscribers – 2010 - 2019
  • Table 9 – Change in the proportion of prepaid and contract subscribers – 2010 - 2019
  • Table 10 – Change in mobile outgoing traffic by type – 2010 - 2019
  • Table 11 – Change in average fixed and mobile voice traffic per subscriber – 2015 - 2019
  • Table 12 – Decline in SMS traffic – 2007 - 2020
  • Table 13 – Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers – 2010 - 2025
  • Table 14 –Growth in the number of LTE mobile subscribers – 2017 – 2019
  • Table 15 – Change in the number of C&W Panama’s mobile subscribers – 2010 – 2019
  • Table 16 – Change in the number of C&WP’s prepaid and contract mobile subscribers – 2018 – 2019
  • Table 17 – Tigo Panama mobile subscribers – 2018 – 2019
  • Table 18 – Tigo Panama financial data – 2018 – 2019
  • Table 19 – Growth in the number of internet users and penetration – 2010- 2019
  • Table 20 – Growth in the number of fixed broadband subscribers and penetration – 2010 - 2025
  • Table 21 – Change in fixed broadband market share by technology – 2000 - 2019
  • Table 22 – Change in the number of fixed broadband subscribers by platform – 2010 - 2019
  • Table 23 – Growth in the number of cable broadband subscribers - 2010 - 2019
  • Table 24 – Growth in the number of C&WP’s broadband subscribers - 2005 - 2019
  • Table 25 – Change in the number of DSL subscribers (regulator data) - 2010 - 2019
  • Table 26 – Growth in the number of FttP subscribers - 2008 - 2019
  • Table 27 – Change in the number of Wi-Fi and WiMAX broadband subscribers – 2008 - 2019
  • Table 28 – Change in the number of C&W Panama’s mobile, broadband and fixed-line subscribers – 2009 - 2019
  • Table 29 – Development of C&W Panama’s mobile, broadband and fixed-line revenue (old style) – 2009 – 2017
  • Table 30 – Development of C&W Panama’s mobile, broadband and fixed-line revenue (new style) – 2017 – 2018
  • Table 31 – Growth in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity – 2010 – 2025
  • Table 32 – Decline in fixed-line call traffic by type – 2010 - 2019
  • Table 33 – Change in average fixed voice traffic by type, per subscriber – 2015 - 2019
  • Table 34 – Decline in the number of public telephones – 2010 - 2019
  • Table 35 – Growth in international bandwidth – 2008 - 2017
  • Table 36 – Historic - Telecom market revenue – 2000 - 2009
  • Table 37 – Historic - Telecom market revenue by sector – 2007 - 2009
  • Table 38 – Historic - Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1998 - 2009
  • Table 39 – Historic - Proportion of prepaid and contract subscribers – 1998 - 2009
  • Table 40 – Historic - Mobile prepaid/postpaid subscribers – 2007 - 2009
  • Table 41 – Historic - Mobile outgoing traffic by type – 2007 - 2009
  • Table 42 – Historic - C&W Panama – mobile subscribers – 2005 – 2009
  • Table 43 – Historic - Internet users and user penetration rate – 1997 - 2009
  • Table 44 – Historic - Broadband subscribers and penetration rates – 1998 - 2009
  • Table 45 – Historic - Broadband market share by technology – 2000 - 2009
  • Table 46 – Historic - Broadband subscribers, DSL and cable – 2001 - 2009
  • Table 47 – Historic - Fixed-line call traffic by type – 2007 - 2009
  • Table 48 – Historic - C&W Panama mobile, broadband and fixed lines ARPU – 2007 – 2015
  • Table 49 – Historic - Fixed lines in service and teledensity – 1997 – 2009
  • Table 50 – Historic - Public telephones – 1998 - 2009

List of Charts

  • Chart 1 – Latin America –Overall Telecoms Maturity Index
  • Chart 3 – Latin America Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Challengers
  • Chart 4 – Latin America Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Laggards
  • Chart 5 – South America –Telecoms Maturity Index by country
  • Chart 6 – Central America –Telecoms Maturity Index by country
  • Chart 7 – Latin America Telecoms Maturity Index vs GDP per Capita
  • Chart 8 – South America mobile subscriber penetration versus mobile broadband penetration
  • Chart 9 – Latin America fixed broadband penetration versus mobile broadband penetration
  • Chart 10 – Development of telecom market revenue by sector – 2010 - 2019
  • Chart 11 – Development of telecom market revenue by sector – 2010 - 2019
  • Chart 12 – Development of telecom market share by sector – 2013 - 2019
  • Chart 13 – Change in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration – 2010 - 2025
  • Chart 14 – Change in the proportion of prepaid and contract subscribers – 2010 - 2019
  • Chart 15 – Change in the proportion of prepaid and contract subscribers – 2010 - 2019
  • Chart 16 – Change in mobile outgoing traffic by type – 2010 - 2019
  • Chart 17 – Change in average fixed and mobile voice traffic per subscriber – 2015 - 2019
  • Chart 18 – SMS traffic – 2007 - 2020
  • Chart 19 – Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers – 2010 - 2025
  • Chart 20 – Change in the number of C&W Panama’s mobile subscribers – 2010 – 2019
  • Chart 21 – Growth in the number of internet users and penetration – 2010- 2019
  • Chart 22 – Growth in the number of fixed broadband subscribers and penetration – 2010 - 2025
  • Chart 23 – Change in fixed broadband market share by technology – 2000 - 2019
  • Chart 24 – Change in the number of fixed broadband subscribers by platform – 2010 - 2019
  • Chart 25 – Growth in the number of cable broadband subscribers - 2010 - 2019
  • Chart 26 – Change in the number of DSL subscribers (regulator data) - 2010 - 2019
  • Chart 27 – Change in the number of Wi-Fi and WiMAX broadband subscribers – 2008 - 2019
  • Chart 28 – Change in the number of C&W Panama’s mobile, broadband and fixed-line subscribers – 2009 - 2019
  • Chart 29 – Growth in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity – 2010 – 2025
  • Chart 30 – Decline in fixed-line call traffic by type – 2010 - 2019
  • Chart 31 – Change in average fixed voice traffic by type, per subscriber – 2015 - 2019

List of Exhibits

  • Exhibit 1 – Generalised Market Characteristics by Market Segment
  • Exhibit 2 – South America - Key Characteristics of Telecoms Markets by Country
  • Exhibit 3 – Central America - Key Characteristics of Telecoms Markets by Country
  • Exhibit 4 – Major submarine cable networks serving Panama

Read the full report: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Panama-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses

Nicolas Bombourg
[email protected]

Within Australia
(02) 8076 7665

Outside Australia
+44 207 097 1241

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