Telefónica connects Guadalajara light rail system

Telefónica Movistar announced that it has connected 16 stations on Guadalajara's light rail system to its 3G network.

Omar Calvo, director of networks at Telefónica México, pointed out that passengers will now be able to download content at 8Mbps without interruptions, while information can be uploaded at 1.5Mbps.

He added that the implementation of this system represents the completion of the national program for underground stations and public transportation coverage, which now includes over 145 stations and more than 150 tunnels in Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara. The system covers the municipalities of Guadalajara, Zapopan and Talquepaque in Jalisco state.

"Movistar's intention is to offer our users the best voice and data transfer services regardless of where they are," Calvo stated in a press release.

Telefónica continues trying to improve its service offering amidst fierce competition. According to OpenSignal's report "State of Mobile Networks: Mexico", Telefónica Movistar lags behind competitors Telcel and AT&T.

This year Telefónica announced investments of 3.4bn pesos (US$184mn) to expand its networks in Mexico and inaugurate a data center in the Ixtlahuaca technology park. According to Calvo, the latter is an effort to strengthen the company's telecom infrastructure and deploy new services.

Telefónica's priority projects include implementing LTE networks in 23 cities and installing 1,700 new base stations.