Synopsis
Venezuela’s fixed-line infrastructure continues to expand, though it has slowed down considerably due to the economic recession of 2009/10. In rural areas, substantial improvements since 2006 have made service availability relatively high for Latin America. The fixed-line market is dominated by state-owned CANTV. Competing companies in local and long-distance telephony are seeing their operations and market share steadily shrink, in an environment that is unfavourable for private enterprise. CANTV has expanded the reach of its telephone network using primarily fixed-wireless solutions. A submarine fibre-optic cable dubbed ALBA-1 between Venezuela and Cuba is due to become operational before the end of 2011. This report provides an overview of Venezuela’s telecom infrastructure, together with profiles of the main fixed network operators, accompanied by relevant statistics, analyses, and fixed-line scenario forecasts for the years 2010, 2015 and 2020.