The private network concept isn’t waiting for 5G, as Nokia and AT&T Mexico have just shown by deploying what they call the first industrial-grade LTE private network in a maritime terminal in the country.

Nokia has entered a strategic alliance with network cabling firm Furukawa Electric that will see the partners accelerate optical LAN deployments in Latin America.

American Tower Corporation and IHS Holding are reportedly in the running for Brazilian operator Oi’s tower assets, competing against rival Highline which has already submitted a binding proposal.

North International Bank (NIBank) has gone live with Temenos to digitally transform its retail banking and private wealth business lines.

Data centre company Ascenty, which has a strong presence in Latin America, has announced the opening of its second facility in Santiago, Chile. This is said to be its largest operation site in the country.

A third of Mexican households have no internet access, something the Mexican president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, is keen to change with a massive proposed investment in internet connectivity.

Argentinian regulator Enacom has granted authorisation to Google to carry out the installation of its Firmina fibre optic cable in Argentine territorial waters.

The long-awaited spin-off of its Latin America cellular tower business by the giant Mexico-headquartered operator America Movil has finally been completed.

Internet para Todos (IPT) has expanded its contract with Gilat for 4G cellular backhaul services in Peru.

NK 108 Empreendimentos e Participacoes (NK 108) has made a binding offer to acquire 8,000 fixed telecoms infrastructure sites from Brazil’s Oi.

Omnichannel messaging services provider Mitto has now attained direct connectivity with all mobile network operators in Argentina following the announcement of its partnership with CATEL’s MVNO imowi.

Two of the partners in what is described as the first subsea cable connecting Latin America with APAC and Oceania have issued a request for proposals (RFP) to begin construction of the estimated 15,000-kilometre Humboldt Cable.

Claro, the second – and only other – network in Guatemala after Tigo, has claimed a 5G launch not long after its rival. This week it has launched 5G operations with initial coverage in parts of all of Guatemala's 22 departments (or administrative divisions).

Mexican operator Telmex is the latest company to face industrial action from staff, marking the first strike since 1985 after the company and trade union STRM (Sindicato de Telefonistas de la Republica) failed to agree on terms.

International service provider Sparkle has added another submarine cable to its assets in the Atlantic with the activation of spectrum capacity on the Monet submarine cable system connecting Brazil to the United States.

Latin American data centre deals have been in the news recently thanks to a major acquisition in Ecuador and two facility openings in Mexico.

A project that could massively expand the available infrastructure for 5G in Brazil has been mooted by two major players in their fields in that country.

Colombian multi-service provider LIWA SAS has launched a mobile offering, with cybersecurity firm cyan supplying its BSS/OSS-Platform to enable its commercial model.

At a meeting held on 12^th July, shareholders in Mexican conglomerate Alfa approved the group’s proposal to spin-off its stake in operator Axtel.

In a rather unusual escalation of a dispute between Apple and Ericsson, it seems both the import and sale of 5G iPhones and iPads have been banned in Colombia where a court has determined that Apple's products infringe on a 5G patent owned by Ericsson.

Tigo Guatemala, part of the Millicom stable of operators, has activated what it claims to be Guatemala’s first 5G network, at the Experience Centre in Cayalá, a purpose-built private city with a focus on housing, dining, shopping, entertainment and business, on the outskirts of the capital Guatemala City.

Operator AT&T Mexico and vendor Nokia have announced that they are collaborating to bring the benefits of 5G to Mexico.

Brazil has seen its first Standalone (SA) 5G networks go live in the capital Brasilia, with Claro, TIM and Vivo all launching their networks after receiving government approval.

Telefonica Moviles Mexico (Movistar) claims to have finished migrating its 3G and 4G data traffic onto AT&T Mexico’s network after the firms signed a last mile agreement in late 2019.

Brazilian capital Brasilia is to lead the way in the country’s 5G rollout with the launch of  a 3.5GHz 5G network on Wednesday 6 July.

While government and industry in another major economy, India, are still debating how and when to enable private 5G networks, in Brazil steel producer Gerdau and Embratel, a major player in both voice and data communication, have already announced an agreement to roll out a dedicated 5G and LTE private network.

Chilean operator Entel claims to have extended its 5G coverage to all regions in the country, with the deployment currently 83% complete.

Millicom deepened its hold in Latin America by taking full ownership of Tigo Panama, as part of wider plans to spread its operations in the country.

Brazil may be about to join the rush to standardise smartphone chargers. The National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel), the Brazilian telecom regulator, has proposed making USB-C chargers mandatory for all smartphones sold in the country.

Mexican regulator IFT (Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones / Federal Telecommunications Institute) has cleared a financing deal that will see ALTAN Redes (Red Compartida) become a public-private partnership funded by the Mexican Development Bank.

Mexican conglomerate Alfa has proposed the spin-off of its entire stake in operator Axtel, a move it claimed will unlock the underlying value of the group.

Liberty Latin America (LLA) has received regulatory approval to proceed with its US$200 million acquisition of America Movil unit Claro Panama, a move that forms an entity with over half of the market share in the country.