America Movil deploys 4.5G network in México

America Movil is deploying 4.5G mobile broadband technology in Mexico, offering speeds up to 10 times faster than current 4G standards and allowing for hyper-connectivity applications such as connected homes and cars, the company's CEO Daniel Hajj said on Wednesday.

The new 'GigaRed' will initially allow for speeds three times higher than those currently available with 4G for phones compatible with the new technology, and it is expected to supply the largest 76 cities in the country with mobile broadband up to 10 times faster within the year, he added.

"Starting today, we will have three times the speed in all of our LTE network," Hajj said during a press conference in Mexico City. "Also starting today, we launch our new LTE-M network... which will allow for the development of the Internet of Things."

America Movil, which leads the country's mobile market in terms of subscribers, with over 60% of total customers, had 73.9mn wireless subscribers in Mexico as of December 2017. The company, owned by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, has already deployed similar networks in Austria, Brazil and the Dominican Republic, Hajj said.