Argentina - Mobile Market - Overview, Statistics and Forecasts

Synopsis

Argentina is one of the most dynamic mobile markets in Latin America, with penetration rates upwards of 130%. More and more users are signing up for multiple mobile accounts; most Argentineans have prepaid plans rather than contracts, therefore owning two mobile telephones is not a lot more expensive than owning one. Some people prefer to have one phone for work and one for personal use, or else they have one phone for each mobile company to take advantage of special offers. Moreover, with the growing popularity of mobile broadband, an increasing number of users require an additional SIM card for their USB modem. Three operators, Movistar, Claro, and Telecom Personal, run a close competition for market share. Spectrum auctions are expected to take place before the end of 2011, both to reallocate Movistar’s returned spectrum and to offer licences for 3G and 4G (LTE) services. Accompanied by key market statistics and analyses, this report provides an overview of the market and a brief profile of mobile operators. It also contains scenario forecasts for the years 2015 and 2020.

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
• 2. Overview of Argentina’s mobile market
  • 2.1 Mobile statistics
• 3. Regulatory issues
  • 3.1 Spectrum auctions
• 4. Mobile technologies
  • 4.1 Overview
  • 4.2 Third Generation (3G) mobile networks (UMTS)
  • 4.3 Long-term evolution (LTE)
  • 4.4 Mobile handsets/smart phones
    • 4.4.1 BlackBerry
    • 4.4.2 iPhone 3G
• 5. Major mobile operators
  • 5.1 Claro (previously CTI Móvil)
  • 5.2 Telecom Personal
  • 5.3 Movistar
  • 5.4 Nextel Argentina
  • 5.5 Nuestro – mobile virtual network operator (MVNO)
• 6. Mobile voice services
  • 6.1 Prepaid
• 7. Mobile messaging
  • 7.1 Short Message Service (SMS)
  • 7.2 Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)
• 8. Mobile broadband
• 9. Mobile satellite
• 10. Forecasts – mobile market 2010; 2015; 2020
  • 10.1 Scenario 1 – higher mobile market growth
  • 10.2 Scenario 2 – lower mobile market growth
  • 10.3 Notes on scenario forecasts
• 11. Related reports

• Table 1 – Mobile subscribers and penetration – 1997 - 2011
• Table 2 – Mobile operators’ market share – 1999 - 2011
• Table 3 – Evolution of mobile ARPU in Argentina – major operators – 2007 - 2010
• Table 4 – 3G subscribers and penetration – 2007 - 2011
• Table 5 – Mobile handset sales – 2004 - 2010
• Table 6 – Claro – mobile subscribers – 1999 - 2011
• Table 7 – Personal – mobile subscribers – 1999 - 2011
• Table 8 – Movistar – mobile subscribers – 1999 - 2011
• Table 9 – Nextel – mobile subscribers – 2002 - 2011
• Table 10 – Mobile prepaid/postpaid ratio – 2004 - 2010
• Table 11 – Mobile broadband subscribers and penetration – 2008 - 2011
• Table 12 – Forecast mobile subscribers – higher growth scenario – 2010; 2015; 2020
• Table 13 – Forecast mobile subscribers – lower growth scenario – 2010; 2015; 2020

• Chart 1 – Mobile market share at a glance – 2011
• Chart 2 – Operators’ mobile ARPU – 2007 - 2011

• Exhibit 1 – Claro at a glance
• Exhibit 2 – Telecom Personal at a glance
• Exhibit 3 – Movistar at a glance