DIGITAL & TRENDS

Telecoms in Latin America

 Table of Contents

01 Overview: Mobile 04 Traffic

Mobile operators revenue in Latin America 2021-2025 03 Internet download speed in Latin America 2019-2022, by country 22
Economic value forecast of mobile telco services in Latin America 2021-2025 04 Mobile data traffic in Latin America 2022-2029 23
CapEx of mobile operators in Latin America 2021-2025 05 Latin America and the Caribbean: share of web traffic 2023, by device 24
Number of 5G-enabled smartphone shipments in Latin America 2020-2023 06 Latin America and Caribbean: social media reach 2023, by country 25
Number of 5G subscriptions in Latin America 2020-2028 07
Smartphone adoption in Latin America 2021 and 2025, by country 08 05 Companies
América Móvil revenue 2022, by region 27
02 Overview: Fixed broadband & telephony Telefónica revenue in Latin America 2021-2023, by country 28
Broadband connections in Latin America 2022-2032, by technology 10 Mobile market share of Telefónica in Latin America 2021-2023, by country 29
Fixed broadband subscribers in Latin America 2022-2032 11 AT&T revenue in Latin America 2014-2022, by country 30
Number of households with broadband internet access in Latin America 2022, by country 12 Millicom's revenue in Latin America 2022, by country 31
Fixed phone subscriptions in Latin America and the Caribbean 2022, by country 13 American Tower Corporation: revenue in Latin America 2015-2022 32

03 Penetration
Smartphone adoption rate in Latin America 2022 vs. 2030 15
Mobile internet penetration rate in Latin America 2021-2025 16
Internet penetration in Latin America and the Caribbean 2023, by country 17
Fixed-broadband subscriptions in Latin America 2022, by country 18
Latin America: fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2022, by country 19
Fixed phone subscriptions per 100 people in Latin America and the Caribbean 2022 20

1
CHAPTER 01

Overview: Mobile
 Revenue generated by mobile operators in Latin America from 2021 to 2025 (in
billion U.S. dollars)
Mobile operators revenue in Latin America 2021-2025

80
73.6
70.7
70 67.9
65
60.3
60
Revenue in billion U.S. dollars

50

40

30

20

10

0
2021 2022 2023* 2024* 2025*

3 Description: In 2022, revenue generated by mobile operators in Latin America amounted to 65 billion U.S. dollars. Total revenue is expected to reach around 74 billion dollars by 2025. Read more
Note(s): LAC; 2021 to 2022; *Forecast Read more
Source(s): GSMA Intelligence
 Economic contribution of the mobile telecommunications in Latin America from
2021 to 2025, by type (in billion U.S. dollars)
Economic value forecast of mobile telco services in Latin America 2021-2025

Direct Indirect Productivity

400

350
Economic value in billion U.S. dollars

300

250
275 275 275 280
270
200

150

100
20 20 20 20
20
50
55 60 60 65 65
0
2021 2022 2023* 2024* 2025*

4 Description: The mobile telecommunications sector's contribution to economic growth in Latin America is forecast to increase from 345 billion euros in 2021 to 365 billion U.S. dollars in 2025. Productivity revenue accounts for the majority of this economic value.
Read more
Note(s): LAC; 2021 to 2022; *Forecast Read more
Source(s): GSMA Intelligence
 Capital expenditure of mobile operators in Latin America from 2021 to 2025 (in
billion U.S. dollars)
CapEx of mobile operators in Latin America 2021-2025

14
12.6 12.5
12.1
12 11.6 11.4
Capital expenditure in billion U.S. dollars

10

0
2021 2022 2023* 2024* 2025*

5 Description: Capital expenditure (CapEx) of mobile operators in Latin America was measured at 11.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. CapEx is forecast to increase up to 2024 before stabilizing in 2025. Read more
Note(s): LAC; 2021 to 2025; *Forecast Capital expenditures (CapEx) are funds used by a company to acquire, upgrade, and maintain physical assets such as property, plants, buildings, technology, or equipment. Read more
Source(s): GSMA Intelligence
 Number of 5G-enabled smartphone unit shipments in Latin America from 2020 to
2023 (in millions)
Number of 5G-enabled smartphone shipments in Latin America 2020-2023

160

140 134
130
120
120
Shipments in million units

100

80

60

40

20
3
0
2020 2021* 2022** 2023**

6 Description: According to forecasts, 5G-enabled smartphone shipments were expected to reach 130 million units in Latin America in 2022. This represents an increase of 0.8 percent compared to the number of 5G-enabled smartphone shipments in 2021.
Read more
Note(s): LAC; August 2022; * Calculations done by Statista based on the data provided by the source. ** Forecast Read more
Source(s): Canalys
 Number of 5G mobile subscriptions in Latin America from 2020 to 2028 (in
millions)
Number of 5G subscriptions in Latin America 2020-2028

350
323.11

300
Number of subscriptions in millions

245.77
250

200
170.12

150

100.16
100

54.35
50
28.1
3.49 9.88
1.33
0
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028

7 Description: There were a reported 28.1 million 5G mobile subscriptions in Latin America in 2023, up from just under 10 million in 2022. Strong growth is expected over the coming years, with over 323 million subscriptions forecast by 2023. Read more
Note(s): LAC; November 2023
Source(s): Ericsson
 Smartphones as a share of total connections in selected Latin American countries
from 2021 to 2025
Smartphone adoption in Latin America 2021 and 2025, by country

2021 2025*

100%
89% 88%
90% 86%
Smartphones as a share of total connections

83% 82%
80% 76% 78% 77%
73% 74%
68% 70%
70% 67% 65%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Latin America Guatemala Brazil Colombia Argentina Mexico Peru

8 Description: Smartphones are expected to account for 83 percent of all mobile connections in Latin America by 2025, up from 76 percent in in 2021. Brazil had the highest smartphone adoption of the markets covered by this study, though adoption in Guatemala
is expected to exceed that of Brazil by 2025. Read more
Note(s): Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, LAC; 2021 to 2022; *Forecast Read more
Source(s): GSMA Intelligence
CHAPTER 02

Overview: Fixed broadband &

telephony
 Broadband connections in Latin America from 2022 to 2032, by technology
Broadband connections in Latin America 2022-2032, by technology

Fixed wireless Fiber Cable internet DSL

120%

100% 1.4% 0.51%

10.77% 11.02%
18.2%
Share of broadband access

80%
31.27%

60%

77.6%
74.66%
40%
53.38%

20%

10.87%
4.58% 5.74%
0%
2022* 2027* 2032*

10 Description: Over half of broadband access in Latin America was expected to have been delivered via fiber connections in 2022. The share of fiber connections is forecast to exceed 77 percent by 2032, while DSL connections are forecast to account for less than 1
percent. Read more
Note(s): LAC; 2022; * Forecast Read more
Source(s): Dataxis
 Number of fixed broadband subscribers in Latin America from 2022 to 2032 (in
millions)
Fixed broadband subscribers in Latin America 2022-2032

180
166 168
160 163
160 156
151
146
140
140 133
126
117
120
Subscribers in millions

100

80

60

40

20

0
2022* 2023* 2024* 2025* 2026* 2027* 2028* 2029* 2030* 2031* 2032*

11 Description: There were an expected 117 million broadband subscribers in Latin America in 2022, with this figure forecast to grow to 126 million in 2023. Subscriber growth is expected to slow towards the end of the decade, with a forecast 168 million subscribers
in the region by 2032. Read more
Note(s): LAC; 2022; * Forecast Read more
Source(s): Dataxis
 Number of fixed broadband subscriptions in Latin America in 2022, by country (in
millions)
Number of households with broadband internet access in Latin America 2022, by country

Subscriptions in millions
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Brazil 45.3

Mexico 26.2

Argentina 11.2

Colombia 8.8

Chile 4.45

Peru 3.16

Venezuela 2.7

Ecuador 2.69

Uruguay 1.14

Bolivia* 1.13

Costa Rica 1.11

Paraguay 0.74

Panama 0.68

El Salvador 0.67

Honduras 0.46

12 Description: In 2022, Brazil had the highest number of fixed broadband subscriptions in continental Latin America, with over 45 million. It was followed by Mexico with approximately 26.2 million subscriptions and Argentina with over 11 million. Read more
Note(s): LAC; 2022; Does not include Caribbean countries and territories
Source(s): ITU
 Number of fixed telephone subscriptions in selected countries in Latin America and
the Caribbean in 2022 (in millions)
Fixed phone subscriptions in Latin America and the Caribbean 2022, by country

Number of subscriptions in millions

0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Brazil 27.3

Mexico 26.5

Argentina 7.04

Colombia 7.59

Venezuela 2.68

Chile 2.22

Guatemala 1.92

Peru 1.8

Ecuador 1.64

Cuba 1.57

Uruguay 1.26

Dominican Republic 1.14

El Salvador 0.86

Panama 0.81

Bolivia* 0.55

13 Description: In 2022, Brazil accounted for the largest number of fixed telephone lines subscriptions within Latin America and the Caribbean. The Portuguese-speaking country had more than 27 million landline subscriptions that year. Mexico followed with 26.5
million fixed phone lines. Read more
Note(s): LAC; 2022; *Data from 2021. The date of release is the date of access. Numbers have been rounded. Read more
Source(s): ITU
CHAPTER 03

Penetration
 Smartphone adoption rate in Latin America in 2022 versus 2030
Smartphone adoption rate in Latin America 2022 vs. 2030

100%
93%
90%
79%
80%

70%

60%
Penetration rate

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
2022 2030

15 Description: In Latin America, smartphone adoption rate is expected to reach 93 percent by 2030, up from approximately 80 percent in 2022. Read more
Note(s): LAC; 2022; * Forecast Read more
Source(s): GSMA Intelligence
 Mobile internet users as share of the total population in Latin America in 2021 and
2025
Mobile internet penetration rate in Latin America 2021-2025

80%

70% 67%

60%
60%

50%
Penetration rate

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
2021 2025*

16 Description: According to a 2022 study, 60 percent of the population in Latin America had access to mobile internet in 2021. This share is expected to increase to 67 percent by 2025. Read more
Note(s): LAC; 2021; * Forecast. Read more
Source(s): GSMA Intelligence
 Internet users as share of the total population in Latin America and Caribbean
countries as of January 2023
Internet penetration in Latin America and the Caribbean 2023, by country

Share of people online

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120%
Antigua & Barbuda 95.7%

Bahamas 94.3%

Chile 90.2%

Uruguay 90.1%

Costa Rica 89.6%

Argentina 87.2%

Barbados 85.8%

Dominican Republic 85.2%

St. Vincent & the Grenadines 84.9%

Guyana 84.8%

Brazil 84.3%

Puerto Rico* 83.7%

Jamaica 82.4%

Paraguay 81.4%

Ecuador 81.3%

17 Description: As of the first month of 2023, nine out of 10 people living in Chile, Uruguay, Bahamas and Antigua & Barbuda were online, putting the countries in the top position regarding internet access in Latin America. Meanwhile, more than 85 percent of the
populations of Costa Rica, Argentina, Barbados and the Dominican Republic were online. On the other hand, less than half of the population of Belize, Nicaragua, Guyana, and Haiti had access to the internet. Overall, the internet penetration rate in [...] Read more
Note(s): January 2023; * Puerto Rico was included despite being an unincorporated territory of the United States. ** Value calculated by Statista based on data provided by the source for the Latin America's subregions of Caribbean, Central [...] Read more
Source(s): DataReportal; Kepios; Meltwater; We Are Social
 Fixed-broadband subscriptions in selected countries in Latin America 2022
Fixed-broadband subscriptions in Latin America 2022, by country

Penetration rate per 100 inhabitants

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
Uruguay 33.2%

Argentina 24.6%

Chile 22.7%

Costa Rica 21.3%

Brazil 21%

Mexico 20.5%

Colombia 17%

Panama 15.5%

Dominican Republic 10.7%

El Salvador 10.6%

Peru 9.29%

Nicaragua 4.85%

Honduras 4.42%

Guatemala 3.52%

18 Description: Among the selected Latin American countries, Uruguay was the nation with the highest fixed-line internet penetration rate per 100 inhabitants in 2022, at 33.2 percent. Meanwhile, around 3.5 out of 100 inhabitants of Guatemala had a fixed-line
internet access. Read more
Note(s): LAC; 2022
Source(s): ITU
 Number of fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in Latin America in
2022, by country
Latin America: fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2022, by country

Number of subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Uruguay 33.2

Argentina 24.6

Chile 22.7

Costa Rica 21.3

Brazil 21

Mexico 20.5

Colombia 17

Panama 15.5

Ecuador 15

Paraguay 10.9

El Salvador 10.6

Venezuela 9.55

Bolivia* 9.33

Peru 9.29

Belize* 9

19 Description: In 2022, Uruguay had the highest number of fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants among Latin American countries. As of that time, there were over 33 fixed broadband subscriptions registered for every 100 Uruguayan. Honduras, on the
other hand, had the lowest rate in the region in 2022, with only 4.42 fixed broadband subscription per 100 inhabitants. Read more
Note(s): LAC; 2022; Does not include Caribbean countries and territories; *Data from 2021. The date of release is the date of access. Read more
Source(s): ITU
 Fixed-line telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in selected countries in
Latin America and the Caribbean in 2022
Fixed phone subscriptions per 100 people in Latin America and the Caribbean 2022

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Barbados 43.1

Uruguay 36.8

Saint Kitts and Nevis* 33

Antigua & Barbuda 29

Trinidad and Tobago 21.3

Bahamas 21.1

Grenada 20.9

Mexico 20.8

Panama 18.4

Suriname 17.5

Jamaica 15.8

Argentina 15.5

Guyana* 15.5

Colombia 14.6

Cuba 14

20 Description: Out of the Latin American and Caribbean profiled, Barbados had the highest fixed-line telephone penetration rate in 2022, with over 43 fixed phone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. Uruguay followed with nearly 37 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants.
Read more
Note(s): LAC; 2022; *Data from 2021. The date of release is the date of access. Numbers have been rounded. Read more
Source(s): ITU
CHAPTER 04

Traffic
 Average download speed of broadband internet in Latin American countries from
June 2021 to June 2022 (in Mbps)
Internet download speed in Latin America 2019-2022, by country

Average download speed in Mbps

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Chile 89.18

Brazil 53.89

Colombia 32.41

Peru 32

Panama 30.04

Mexico 27.62

Belize 27.1

Paraguay 25.27

Costa Rica 24.58

Argentina 20.34

Nicaragua 15.38

French Guiana 14.81

Guyana 14.81

Ecuador 13.47

Honduras 10.88

22 Description: The statistic presents the average download speed of broadband internet in Latin American countries from June 2021 to June 2022 measured in Megabits per second (Mbps). In that period of time, Chile presented the highest broadband internet
speed in Latin America, with an average download speed of nearly 90 Mbps. Read more
Note(s): LAC; June 2021 to June 2022; Not taking into account Caribbean countries and territories
Source(s): Cable.co.uk
 Monthly mobile data traffic in Latin America from 2022 to 2029 (in exabytes)
Mobile data traffic in Latin America 2022-2029

35

30
30

25
Traffic in exabytes

20

15

10
7.8
5.8
5

0
2022 2023 2029*

23 Description: Mobile data traffic in Latin America amounted to 7.8 exabytes per month in 2023, an increase on the 5.8 exabytes reported for 2022. Significant growth is expected in the coming years, with monthly traffic forecast to reach 30 exabytes by 2029.
Read more
Note(s): LAC; 2022 to 2023; * Forecast. Read more
Source(s): Ericsson
 Distribution of web traffic in selected countries in Latin America and the Caribbean
in May 2023, by device
Latin America and the Caribbean: share of web traffic 2023, by device

Share of internet traffic

Mobile Desktop Tablet Console

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Haiti
Paraguay
Cuba
Suriname
Ecuador
Peru
Guatemala
Colombia
Argentina
Jamaica
Guyana
Bahamas
Venezuela
Honduras

24 Description: As of May 2023, the majority of countries from Latin America had most of their web traffic originating from mobile devices. Haiti ranked first regarding mobile traffic, with 82.51 percent, followed by Paraguay and Cuba. Regarding desktop computers,
the Dominican Republic had the highest share of its web traffic coming from desktop devices, followed by Uruguay and Saint Kitts and Nevis. Additionally, the archipelago of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados had the highest share of [...] Read more
Note(s): LAC; May 2023; * Puerto Rico was included in the ranking despite being an unincorporated territory of the United States. Values may not add up to 100 percent due to rounding. The date of release is the date of access. Read more
Source(s): StatCounter
 Percentage of population using social media in Latin America and Caribbean as of
January 2023, by country
Latin America and Caribbean: social media reach 2023, by country

Reach among population

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
St. Kitts and Nevis 84.8%

Chile 84.4%

Uruguay 81.8%

Argentina 79.7%

Barbados 74.9%

Colombia 74%

Costa Rica 73.7%

Mexico 73.4%

Peru 73.3%

St. Vincent & the Grenadines 71.8%

Brazil 70.6%

Puerto Rico* 68.2%

Antigua & Barbuda 67.3%

Paraguay 65.6%

Dominican Republic 65.5%

25 Description: As of January 2023, more than 80 percent of the populations of St. Kitts and Nevis, Chile and Uruguay were on social media. On the other hand, approximately 18 percent of Haitians used social networking platforms. Among the largest Latin American
markets, Brazil had the lowest social media penetration rate at 70 percent, just below Peru and the Caribbean island country of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Read more
Note(s): LAC; January 2023; social media users as percentage of total population; * Puerto Rico was included despite being an unincorporated territory of the United States. Social media users may not represent unique individuals, and may exceed [...] Read more
Source(s): DataReportal; Meltwater; Various sources; We Are Social
CHAPTER 05

Companies
 Revenue generated by América Móvil in 2022, by region (in billion Mexican pesos)
América Móvil revenue 2022, by region

Value in billion Mexican pesos

0 50 100 150 200 250 300

Mexico wireless 245.9

Brazil 170.9

Europe 106

Mexico fixed 100

Colombia 71.3

Andean Region 55.5

Central America 47.2

Caribbean 42.71

Southern Cone 38.72

27 Description: In 2022, Mexico was the largest market for América Móvil, generating nearly 246 billion Mexican pesos in revenue with wireless operations and almost 100 billion pesos with fixed-line operations. Brazil followed with around 171 billion pesos.
Read more
Note(s): Worldwide; 2022
Source(s): América Móvil
 Revenue generated by Telefónica in Latin America from 2021 to 2023, by country
(in billion euros)
Telefónica revenue in Latin America 2021-2023, by country

2021 2022 2023

12

10 9.65
9.14 8.87
8.36 8.38
8
Revenue in billion euros

6.91

0
Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Brazil
Peru

28 Description: In 2023, the revenue of Telefónica, S. A. in Brazil alone amounted to approximately 9.65 billion euros. The revenue for Telefonica Hispam stood at around 8.4 billion euros. Read more
Note(s): LAC; 2021 to 2023
Source(s): Telefónica
 Market share held by Telefónica in the mobile market in Latin America from 2021 to
2023, by country
Mobile market share of Telefónica in Latin America 2021-2023, by country

Market share

2021 2022 2023

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

53.9%
Venezuela 53.3%
54.7%
38.7%
Brazil 38.9%
33.1%
30.1%
Ecuador 31.4%
31.5%
28.2%
Argentina 28.5%
29.2%
27.1%
Peru 29%
30.4%
27%
Chile 25.5%
25.8%
24.8%
Colombia 25.6%
26%
24.6%
Uruguay 27.8%
29.1%
18.2%
Mexico 18.3%
19.5%

29 Description: In 2023, Telefónica held nearly 39 percent of the mobile market in Brazil (based on the number of mobile accesses). The share was highest in Venezuela at 53.9 percent and lowest in Mexico at 18.2 percent. Read more
Note(s): LAC; 2021 to 2023; Based on the number of accesses / internal estimates of Telefónica's
Source(s): Telefónica
 Operating revenue of AT&T's Latin America segment from 2014 to 2022, by country
(in million U.S. dollars)
AT&T revenue in Latin America 2014-2022, by country

Mexico Brazil Other

Revenue in million U.S. dollars

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

30 Description: In 2022, AT&T generated over three billion U.S. dollars in revenue in Mexico. Since that year, the company's Latin America segment provides wireless services and equipment exclusively in Mexico. Read more
Note(s): Mexico, LAC; 2014 to 2022
Source(s): AT&T
 Revenue generated by Millicom International Cellular in Latin America in 2022, by
country (in million U.S. dollars)
Millicom's revenue in Latin America 2022, by country

1,600

1,400 1,346

1,200
Revenue in million U.S. dollars

1,000

800

585 584
600 544

389
400
220
200 140

0
Colombia Panama Bolivia Paraguay El Salvador Nicaragua Costa Rica

31 Description: The Luxembourgish telecommunications provider Millicom reported revenue of over 1.3 billion U.S. dollars in Colombia in 2022, the highest of any Latin American market. Panama and Bolivia accounted for 585 and 584 million U.S. dollars respectively.
Read more
Note(s): LAC; 2022
Source(s): Millicom
 Property revenue generated by American Tower Corporation in Latin America from
2015 to 2022 (in million U.S. dollars)
American Tower Corporation: revenue in Latin America 2015-2022

1,800
1,691.9

1,600
1,465.4
1,400 1,340.7
1,264.8 1,257.4
Revenue in million U.S. dollars

1,169.6
1,200

985.9
1,000
885.6

800

600

400

200

0
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

32 Description: In 2022, American Tower Corporation, which operates wireless and broadcast communications infrastructure, generated nearly 1.7 billion U.S. dollars in Latin America. Headquartered in Boston, United States, American Tower Corporation operates in
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Paraguay, and Peru. Read more
Note(s): LAC; 2015 to 2022
Source(s): American Tower
 Sources

América Móvil
American Tower
AT&T
Cable.co.uk
Canalys
DataReportal
Dataxis
Ericsson
GSMA Intelligence
ITU
Kepios
Meltwater
Millicom
StatCounter
Telefónica
Various sources
We Are Social

33