Spanish-speaking nations to have 60% of Caribbean LTE lines

Spanish-speaking countries in the Caribbean will account for 60% of the total LTE subscriptions in the region, according to consultancy 4G Americas, citing data from Ovum.

"Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Cuba will together have 60% of total LTE lines in the Caribbean," said José Otero, director for Latin America and the Caribbean at 4G Americas.

The three islands that form the Spanish-speaking Caribbean have vastly different landscapes in terms of LTE deployment. The Dominican Republic was one of the first countries in Latin America to deploy LTE, with Orange launching the service in July 2012. LTE is currently offered by three of the four operators that work on the island – Viva has yet to announce LTE services.

Puerto Rico has one of the highest penetrations of LTE networks in Latin America, mostly due to its close relationship with the US. Only Aeronet is expected to deploy LTE later this year, but the other five providers already have working networks.

Cuba, on the other hand, has no working LTE deployments, since its telecom industry is only just just taking off with 28.2% mobile penetration and many restrictions still in place on the part of the US. However, since Washington and Havana rekindled relationships last year, foreign investment is expected to start pouring in, with some service providers announcing their intention to start operations in the island.

The Caribbean as a whole will make up 2.4% of total LTE subscriptions in Latin America, which Ovum predicts will reach 260mn by 2020.