Nextel Mexico, Iusacell Sign Interconnection Deal

MEXICO CITY -(Dow Jones)- Mexican mobile operator Grupo Iusacell has signed a network interconnection agreement with the Nextel Mexico subsidiary of wireless carrier NII Holdings.

In a press release late Monday, Iusacell said the agreement settles prior interconnection disputes between the two firms.

Last month, Mexico telecommunications regulator Cofetel ordered mobile operators Telefonica Mexico, Iusacell and the Telcel unit of America Movil to provide interconnection to Operadora de Comunicaciones, a unit of Nextel Mexico.

Nextel Mexico and Telcel signed an interconnection pact earlier this month.

Nextel Mexico, which offers push-to-talk mobile telephony services, is the country's smallest wireless carrier, with nearly two million subscribers at the end of September.

Market leader Telcel had about 74% of the country's 64.6 million wireless users at the end of the third quarter, followed by Telefonica Mexico, with 11.1 million clients, and Iusacell, with about four million.

NII Holdings has operations in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, and Chile.

-By Ken Parks, Dow Jones Newswires; 52-55-5080-3453; ken.parks@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

Posted to the site on 11th December 2007