Almost 13 years
have elapsed since the promulgation of the Framework
Law for the Telecommunication Sector, Decree-Law
185-95, and its amendment through Decree-Law 118-97.
It marked the beginning of a new era in that sector
and ushered in major changes, due to the fact that a
regulatory framework lays the groundwork for
striking a balance between the core regulator-operator-user
protagonists of telecommunication services of
various kinds with different technologies, whereby
telecommunication is regarded as a key factor in,
and indicator of, the economic development of
Honduras.
Back in 1996, Honduras
was one of the relatively least developed countries
in Central America with respect to telecommunication,
with a low telephony density of barely 5 lines per
100 inhabitants. The State-owned Empresa Hondureña
de Telecomunicaciones (HONDUTEL) was the only
operator.
In that same year there
were 190,236 fixed telephony subscribers and 1,734
mobile phone subscribers: statistics that have since
changed significantly. By June 2008, there were
848,543 fixed telephony subscribers and in August
2008, Honduras had 5.4 million mobile phone
subscribers, out of a total population of 7.3
million.
Thus, thanks to the
opening up of the market for mobile telephony
services and, subsequently, fixed telephony services,
with some 20 companies providing them, in addition
to a considerable number of enterprises providing
data, Internet, Cable TV, radio, television, and
other services, there has been a marked increase in
the number of subscribers. The three major
telecommunication operators in the country are:
HONDUTEL, CELTEL (TIGO) and SERCOM (CLARO). Another
company, DIGICEL, will shortly enter the market to
provide mobile telephony services.
As for fixed satellite
services, Honduras does not have any satellite in
orbit. Nevertheless, in respect of systems providing
fixed and mobile services, Honduras has maintained
an open market policy toward providers of satellite
services for both fixed and mobile telephony.
Operators who have so wished have signed the
respective contracts with CONATEL (the Honduran
regulator). For that reason and also in order to
bring telecommunication services to rural and remote
areas, CONATEL approved – in Reslution NR004/03 – a
broadband satellite access network, with the
following characteristics:
-
Broadband
transmission networks providing multimedia
services;
-
Authorization to
serve as an access network for fixed/mobile
telephony, data, and other services;
-
Use of one or more
satellites belonging to satellite operators that
have signed services agreements with CONATEL;
-
Authorization, by
means of a license, to use the radio spectrum
covering the whole of the national territory;
-
C and Ku frequency
bands; and
-
Use of frequency-time
division multiple access (FTDMA) and demand
assigned multiple access (DAMA) techniques.
Finally, Honduras is
experiencing strong economic growth and the
telecommunication sector is no exception, the number
of fixed telephony subscribers growing 11% on
average while mobile phone subscribers have an
average growth rate of 119%. That points to the use
of satellite systems through satellite operators
authorized in Honduras (nine agreements have been
signed and nine satellite segment marketing
companies registered), for both national and
international communications.
Chart No. 1 and Tables
1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 in the Appendix show indicators
for fixed and mobile telephony and Cable TV
subscribers, Internet users, and operators and
marketing companies for the satellite segment.
APPENDIX
Chart
No. 1: Growth of fixed and mobile telephone lines
Table No. 1: Growth of fixed and mobile telephone
lines
Year |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008* |
Fixed line
subscribers |
190,236 |
233,593 |
249,497 |
279,197 |
298,713 |
310,617 |
322,497 |
334,400 |
392,707 |
493,680 |
713,597 |
821,532 |
811,060 |
Mobile
phone
subscribers |
1,734 |
11,428 |
34,164 |
78,588 |
152,870 |
237,629 |
326,508 |
379,362 |
707,201 |
1,260,760 |
2,240,756 |
3,831,202 |
4,697,062 |
*848,543 fixed
telephony subscribers in June and 5.4 million mobile
phone subscribers in August
Table No. 2: Cable TV subscribers
Cable
Television Subscriptions (CATV) |
Year |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
Subscribers |
390,029 |
No data available |
479,676 |
557,311 |
637,126 |
Table No. 3: Internet Users
Years |
Subscribers |
Users
(estimated) |
No. of
users
per
100 inhabitants |
No. of
cyber-cafés
and
internet cabins |
Dec.-02 |
16,856 |
168,560 |
2.47 |
268 |
Dec-03 |
18,551 |
185,510 |
2.66 |
459 |
Dec.-04 |
22,227 |
222,273 |
3.15 |
665 |
Dec.-05 |
25,820 |
258,187 |
3.63 |
816 |
Dec.-06 |
28,965 |
337,300 |
4.61 |
1,089 |
Dec.-07 |
35,741 |
424,160 |
5.63 |
1,335 |
Table No. 4: Satellite Services Operators
No. |
Satellite Operator |
Operation band |
1 |
SATELITES
MEXICANOS, S. A. de C. V. (SATMEX) |
C and Ku |
2 |
PANAMSAT
INTERNACIONAL SYSTEMS, INC. |
C and Ku |
3 |
NEW SKIES
SATELLITES, B.V. |
C and Ku |
4 |
LORAL SKYNET
CORPORATION |
Ku |
5 |
INTELSAT, LLC
|
C and Ku |
6 |
NAHUELSAT |
Ku |
7 |
SES AMERICOM, INC
|
C and Ku |
8 |
HISPASAT
|
C and Ku |
9 |
COLUMBIA
COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION |
C and Ku |
Table No. 5: Companies marketing the satellite
segment
No. |
Marketing
Company |
Associated Satellite Operator |
Operation band |
1 |
VSC SATELLITE
CORPORATION |
SATELITES
MEXICANOS (SATMEX) |
C and Ku |
2 |
HUGHES NETWORK
SYSTEMS, LLC |
PANAMSAT
INTERNATIONAL SYSTEMS
and SATELITES
MEXICANOS (SATMEX) |
C and Ku |
3 |
SATELLITE
COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS HOND |
PANAMSAT
INTERNATIONAL SYSTEMS |
C and Ku |
4 |
LORAL CYBERSTAR
SERVICES, INC. |
SATELITES
MEXICANOS (SATMEX) |
C and Ku |
5 |
REPRESENTACIONES
E INVERSIONES, S.A. |
INTELSAT, LLC
|
C and Ku |
6 |
UNIVERSAL DE
TELECOMUNICACIONES, S. A. |
SATELITES
MEXICANOS (SATMEX) |
C and Ku |
7 |
IMPSAT USA INC
|
PANAMSAT
INTERNATIONAL SYSTEMS |
C and Ku |
8 |
HONDUTEL
|
INTELSAT, LLC
|
C and Ku |
9 |
EQUANT DE
HONDURAS |
SATELITES
MEXICANOS (SATMEX) |
C and Ku |
Javier Hernández Flores
Director Gestión del Espectro Radioeléctrico
CONATEL, HONDURAS C.A.
Tel: (504) 234 8600
Fax: (504) 234 8533
E-Mail:
[email protected]
Sitio web:
www.conatel.hn |