MWC25 has seen the unveiling of the successful launch of Wim, a groundbreaking all-digital, cloud-native mobile network operator (MNO) in Mexico.

The Latin American smartphone market surged by 15% in 2024 to 137 million units, with Korean vendor Samsung maintaining its position as the market leader by shipments.

The government of Bolivia has officially opened a new US$52 million data centre in the city of El Alto owned by national operator Entel. Entel has also announced ambitious plans for fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) growth in the country.

Colombia’s Ministry of ICT, the European Union and CAF, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, have signed a cooperation agreement to strengthen connectivity in Colombia and promote development in its territories, especially in rural and remote areas.

Telefónica has announced it will integrate Generative AI into its digital workplace management software to enhance operations at security firm Prosegur across the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America.

Movistar, Telefónica’s mobile carrier in Mexico, and Helium, a pioneer in decentralised wireless communications, are beginning to roll out the Helium Network, with plans to activate service to over two million Movistar subscribers across Mexico. We asked Mario Di Dio, General Manager of Network at Helium, to tell us a bit more about the technology and the business model it enables.

The role of satellite communications in keeping aircraft connected just keeps on growing. Satcoms specialist Viasat has announced that it is expanding its long-standing relationship with Aeromexico, Mexico’s global airline.

Ciena said on Wednesday that digital infrastructure and technology provider Cirion Technologies will deploy its solutions on subsea and terrestrial cable routes to enable its Latin American data centres to support growing demand for cloud and AI.

Multinational telecommunications company Telefonica has announced plans to start insolvency proceedings for its Peruvian subsidiary, Telefonica del Peru. Essentially, according to many reports, this is a strategic move to restructure its Peru unit by filing for bankruptcy protection.

Telecom Argentina says it has taken a new step in its sustainability and energy transition strategy with an agreement signed with power company MSU Green Energy for the supply of 60,000 MWh of solar energy per year for the next ten years.

Telefónica is reportedly accelerating its exit from non-core markets by preparing to sell its Mexico unit, just weeks after it was said to be exploring sales in Argentina and Colombia.

Telecentro Argentina has signed a multi-year extension to its existing deal with Netcracker for the vendor’s Digital OSS.

Nokia has announced that CEO Pekka Lundmark (pictured) will depart this year to make way for Intel executive Justin Hotard, in a move seemingly aimed at sharpening its expertise in AI and data centres.

Nokia announced on Friday that it has signed a deal with internet service provider Puntonet Ecuador to upgrade its fibre broadband network to 10G, with an eye towards 25GPON in the future.

Telefónica has requested that Colombia’s Superintendency of Industry and Commerce evaluate its unit, Coltel, ahead of a potential sale to Millicom as part of its ongoing divestment plan in Latin America.

Wholesale fibre optic connectivity services and infrastructure carrier InterNexa has announced a five-year US$100 million investment to strengthen connectivity in Colombia.

The global smartphone market grew by 7% to 1.22 billion units in 2024, marking a rebound after two consecutive years of decline, with emerging markets highlighted as the industry’s key growth driver.

Colombian mobile network operator Tigo cut off connectivity access to MVNO Flash Mobile users after the latter failed to pay its last two bills.

CoreX has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the businesses of Volteo Digital.

Telefonica is reportedly mulling the sale of its Argentinean unit.

Oracle has equipped its Enterprise Communications Platform (ECP) with connectivity from Space X's Starlink low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites , enabling clients to access its cloud applications in remote locations.

Liberty Costa Rica and Claro have each paid $16.2 million for 5G spectrum rights, marking a major step toward launching commercial 5G services in the Central American nation.

Operator TIM Brasil and independent growth and monetisation platform Digital Turbine have announced a strategic partnership that they say will enhance the smartphone experience for millions of TIM customers.

WOM Colombia has announced plans to roll out its 5G networks this year, following a bailout from new investors that rescued the operator from bankruptcy last week.

C3ntro Telecom (C3ntro), a provider of AI-enabled fibre networks and data centre connectivity solutions, has announced the successful deployment in Mexico of a solution from Infinera, a global supplier of innovative open optical networking solutions and advanced optical semiconductors.

ZTE said it has successfully collaborated with Viettel-backed Peruvian telco Bitel to upgrade its 4G mobile network ahead of the telco’s official launch of 5G on Monday.

Mexican telecoms regulator, the Federal Telecommunications Institute (FTI), has cancelled the auction for 5G spectrum that was scheduled for this month.

The mixed fortunes of WOM Colombia, the country’s fourth largest operator, have been at least slightly boosted by news of an acquisition that will allow it to continue to operate.

Seven prequalified companies have confirmed to Costa Rica’s regulator Sutel their participation in the 5G spectrum auction in Costa Rica, which will take place this month.

A new data centre campus is being developed in Leopoldina in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, a large inland state in southeastern Brazil, by two major names in their respective fields.