ICT: The week in 10 stories

CHILE

Telecoms regulator Subtel may ask antitrust tribunal TDLC to raise the current 60MHz spectrum cap to which telecoms operators are limited, following a supreme court ruling that ordered operators to return spectrum after they exceeded the existing limit.

MEXICO

Mexico's president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador will look hard at ICT-related government programs to retain positive initiatives without pushing for a "radical" rethink of policies, as the new government seeks to bring connectivity to millions still outside the digital economy, according to a key economic advisor.

ARGENTINA

Argentina's so-called "short" telecoms law, which allows telcos to offer DTH, cleared the senate and faces a vote in the lower house in the coming weeks.

BRAZIL

The site that will host Qualcomm's promised US$200mn Brazilian semiconductor plant remains to be found, but the company is already starting to develop the technology for its advanced Qchips locally.

URUGUAY

Uruguay's ministry of industry, energy and mining (MIEM) has granted US$700,000 in non-refundable funds to support projects in the software, biotechnology, electronics and nanotechnology areas.

CUBA

Cuba's new ToDus messaging app for mobile phones obtained more than 170,000 subscribers during the first week after its June 20 launch, according to media reports.

VENEZUELA

Widespread thefts of fiber optic cables in crisis-hit Venezuela are leaving telecommunications users in the South American country in digital darkness, according to local media.

ECUADOR

Ecuador's Seguros Equinoccial said its new connected car insurance platform offers a raft of benefits, as it joins a trend that has taken root in the likes of Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Argentina.

REGIONAL

Kevin Cohen, Viasat's general manager of community Wi-Fi for Latin America, offers the company's view of a legal spat in Brazil concerning use of the Ka band.

REGIONAL

Is Latin America's growing e-commerce scene ready for a big takeover? And could the door for international giants such as Alibaba and Amazon swing open through a potential takeover of the region's long-standing leader MercadoLibre?