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Peru: Handset prices slowing mobile subscriber growth Print E-mail
Wednesday, 30 March 2005
Peru’s mobile handset prices are the most significant factor holding back the expansion of mobile telephony, Osiptel President Edwin San Román said.

Osiptel came to this conclusion after conducting a survey among low-income inhabitants in Lima and five other regions.

"We found that one of the barriers for new mobile users is the handset cost. If the prices could be reduced to 30 soles (US$ 10), we could see a larger number of new users," San Román said.

He also pointed out that handset makers have announced new products with prices as low as 100 soles, and operators' subsidy policies should help to reduce this by as much as 50%. The survey also determined that if fixed-line providers could devise a flat rate plan for 25 soles, they could have close to one million new users. San Román also hinted that the market might be able to support five or more mobile operators.

Source: Business News Americas