Mexico mobile penetration reaches 85% in Q2

The number of mobile telephony subscribers in Mexico reached 103.4 million at the end of the second quarter, up 1 percent on the same quarter in 2014, according to data published by the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT). The mobile penetration rate reached 85 percent. Of total mobile telephony users, 85 percent were prepaid and the remaining 15 per cent postpaid. Telcel slightly increased its market share to 69.5 percent, while Telefonica had 21.5 percent, followed by Iusacell-Unefon (5.4%) and Nextel (3.1%). The total for the MVNO segment was 0.48 percent (Virgin Mobile 0.32%, Kubo Cel 0.09%, Cierto 0.05% and Maz Tiempo 0.02%), representing a 133.9 percent growth on Q1 2015. The mobile broadband penetration rate was 45 percent, for a total of 54.6 million subscribers.

At the end of June, fixed telephony penetration was 67 percent, and the number of fixed lines was up 6 percent year-on-year to 21.1 million. Telmex-Telnor-Televisa had 81 percent of total lines, followed by GTM (7%) and Axtel-Avantel (4%). Fixed broadband penetration reached 43 percent, while fixed broadband subscriptions were 3.48 percent higher year-on-year at 13.68 million. Of total subscriptions, 58.5 percent used DSL technology and 30.4 percent cable modem, while 72.7 percent of subscribers had speeds of between 2 and 10 Mbps. Telmex-Telnor had 62.8 percent of the market, followed by Televisa Group (18.7%) and Megacable (11.4%). The pay-TV penetration rate was 54 percent, and subscribers were up 10 percent on the previous year to 16.98 million.

Of the total pay-TV subscriptions, 45 percent were cable (7.7 million) and 55 percent (9.3 million) satellite or microwave TV. At the operator level, Televisa Group had 61.2 percent of the market, followed by Dish-MVS (16.3%) and Megacable (15.2%).

Total revenues from the telecom sector amounted to MXN 107 billion in the second quarter, of which 57.5 percent came from the mobile market and the remaining 42.5 percent in the fixed market.