Ecuador is set to reform its Organic Telecommunications Law following a new decree signed by president Guillermo Lasso.

Argentina-based private holding company Grupo Werthein has reached an agreement to acquire AT&T's Vrio digital entertainment services business in Latin America.

Eight ISPs in the Brazilian Northeastern states of Paraiba, Pernambuco, Ceara, and Rio Grande do Norte have merged to create Proxxima Telecomunicacoes, with 95,000 subscribers and 350,000 households connected to fibre.

Chilean telecommunications regulator the Subsecretariat of Telecommunications (Subtel) has announced the launch of a public tender for the deployment of a fibre optic project in the country’s Tarapacá region.

Brazilian telecommunications company Algar Telecom, a telecommunications and technology company belonging to the Algar Group, has just launched Controle de Ponto, an electronic timesheet digitalization solution, developed in partnership with Tangerino, a company specializing in workday management technology.

UFINET, which provides wholesale fibre optic services across Latin America, is acquiring a majority holding in the Rio de Janeiro-based carrier NB Telecom.

Telefonica Colombia, a subsidiary of the Spanish telecom group Telefonica, and KKR, a global investment firm, have announced an agreement to establish Colombia’s first independent nationwide open access wholesale digital infrastructure company.

Brazil will confirm the date of its much-delayed 5G spectrum auction by 25th August.

Millicom, a leading provider of fixed and mobile services operating under the Tigo brand, has further underlined its enhanced focus on Latin America with the confirmation of a $250 million investment plan for Panama.

Brazil’s antitrust regulator CADE has given its unconditional approval for the acquisition of Copel Telecom, the telecommunications subsidiary of Paraná state power firm Copel, by local investment fund Bordeaux.

Starlink - Elon Musk's wireless satellite internet service - finally received authorisation to operate in Mexico for 10 years. It will be from October 28, 2021, when users in the country will be able to start using it.

Brazilian telecom operator Mhnet has finalised the purchase of three regional ISPs -Optinet, Frosinet, and GW Telecom - and expanded its presence. The value of the business was not revealed.

Grain Management, a private equity firm focused on digital infrastructure, has acquired Conexao Group, a Brazilian alternative high-speed internet service provider (ISP) operating in the Northeast and Southeast regions of Brazil, from ACON Investments, a private equity firm.

The Telecommunications Agency of Guyana has confirmed plans to issue three 700MHz spectrum licences this month.

According to a recent announcement from the country’s telecoms regulator, Subtel, Chile will be the first country in Latin America to be served by Starlink, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet constellation described (on its website) as ideally suited for areas of the globe where connectivity has typically been a challenge.

Telecommunications company Telefonica, whose operations in Brazil are branded as ‘Vivo’, has announced that the neutral fibre network operator FiBrasil has officially started operating in the country.

The largest Chilean telecommunications company Entel reached an agreement with Ericsson which will pave the way for the launch of 5G and IoT services.

Brazilian telecommunications company Embratel is using Wi-Fi 6 technology for projects in several segments, such as industry and retail, with plans to expand into healthcare and finance as well, said local media reports.

TIM Brasil activated 5G DSS networks in three cities of the Northeast, namely Fortaleza (Ceara), Recife (Pernambuco), and Salvador (Bahia).

Brazil’s much-delayed 5G spectrum auction has been moved a few times. Recent adjustments involved an auction late last year, after which June and July this year were among dates mooted. Now the dates have changed again.

Announced last May, the purchase of Vogel Telecom by compatriot telecommunications provider Algar Telecom received an unrestricted approval report by Brazilian regulator Cade's General Superintendence (SG).

The telecommunications and media company Millicom which provides cable and mobile services in Latin America under the Tigo brand has announced the launch of ONEtv on Android TV (Google) in the markets where it operates in the region.

There have been a number of interesting recent telecoms-related announcements from Colombia, where 5G, remote connectivity and satcoms for humanitarian purposes are all in the news.

Vivo, the Brazilian subsidiary of Telefónica Group, has selected Netcracker Technology for the next stage in its ongoing digital transformation program.

Mexico’s rural communities are about to get a connectivity boost thanks to two satcoms-related businesses – ST Engineering iDirect and AXESS Networks – working alongside Altan, a major local operator.

Argentina is in the subsea cable news again. Late last week wholesale telecom service provider GlobeNet’s new subsea cable system Malbec, which connects Argentina and Brazil, was launched.

Colombia’s WOM announced that it has connected its 700MHz 4G network to 525 previously unserved rural areas.

America Movil's Claro Uruguay unit began technical tests in 5G in the 28 GHz band in the country after receiving authorization from the Communication Services Regulatory Unit (URSEC).

Claro Argentina, a part of the América Móvil group, has partnered with DOCOMO Digital, the integrator of digital app stores, to facilitate the purchase of applications and content with direct carrier billing (DCB), within the Samsung Galaxy Store, using Claro's pre-paid or post-paid accounts.

Google has announced plans to build Firmina, an open subsea cable that will run from the East Coast of the United States to Las Toninas, Argentina, with additional landings in Praia Grande, Brazil and Punta del Este, Uruguay.

Venezuela’s fixed-line teledensity was relatively high for the region before the steady growth in the number of lines came to an end in 2015. Since then, the number of lines has plummeted, and by late 2020 teledensity had fallen to about 18.6%.