Porta to Shut Down AMPS/TDMA Network by End-Sep

Ecuadorian mobile operator Porta plans to shut down its AMPS/TDMA network by September 30, 2007, at the latest, telecoms watchdog Suptel said in a statement.

Porta, owned by Mexico's América Móvil, is currently in the process of migrating its client base from TDMA to GSM technology.

Suptel has asked the operator for the full shutdown schedule to ensure the process is conducted in a controlled way.

At end-May, Porta had 6.14mn subscribers. Approximately 166,000 subscribers still use TDMA technology.

Movistar Ecuador also plans to shut down its AMPS/TDMA network on December 31, 2008. The company, which is a unit of Spanish giant Telefónica, is no longer activating new lines for this technology and has started an aggressive campaign to migrate the customer base to GSM technology."

Posted to the site on 26th July 2007