The Latin American telecom boom

Latin America is experiencing a true revolution in its telecommunications sector. Privatizations of telephone companies from Mexico to Chile sparked a transformation that is today enveloping the entire region. Latin American telecom operators are investing massive amounts in their infrastructure. At the same time, these investments are fueling the introduction of cutting edge technologies at a rate comparable to many developed countries and boosting telephone penetration rates to unprecedented levels. Latin America´s telecommunications sector is one of the fastest growing of any region in the world. One of the first significant steps toward telecom privatization among developing countries was the sell-off of Chile´s two national carriers. Since the Chilean privatizations, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, and Peru have sold off their telephone monopolies. Brazil, Paraguay, El Salvador, Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, and others are close to taking similar steps. Latin America has become unique not only for the frequency of its privatizations, but also for their scope