Recently, Vietnam’s Viettel Global, which has already set up shop in Peru, made its entry into the Dominican Republic, becoming the country’s fourth national mobile operator.
The telecom sector is opening up many opportunities for companies across Latin America. While domestic companies are performing well, eroding profits and increasing costs have not deterred international players, who are also eyeing expansion across the region. With healthy competition, LatAm’s telecom sector is bound to attract major collaborations and investments in the near term.
Recently, Vietnam’s Viettel Global, which has already set up shop in Peru, made its entry into the Dominican Republic, becoming the country’s fourth national mobile operator. This new subsidiary will be called Viettel Dominicana, and the company’s executives have already approved a budget of $560 million, in direct investment in license, spectrum, and network. No local telecom operator was acquired in the process, and the entry of an overseas company into the market is only to increase competitiveness in the sector.
Panama’s telecommunications regulator ASEP also had the same vision when it launched a public tender to allow a third mobile operator into the market. The Panamanian telecom sector is currently a duopoly between two providers- Cable & Wireless Panama (Más Móvil) and Tigo. This move was triggered by the exit of Digicel from the country, and its aim to enhance competition in the telecom sector.
In Argentina, on the other hand, where there are currently three major telecom service providers, the acquisition of Telecom Argentina (ADR) by Movistar, if approved, could leave Claro as the only other industry rival. ADR is one of the largest integrated telecommunications providers in Argentina, catering to residential and corporate customers with a wide range of services like mobile voice, data, fixed broadband and pay TV services.
These convergent services have helped retain customers and grow average revenue per user. The convergence model leverages the same network infrastructure across multiple services, such as mobile, internet, and video, which helps spread fixed costs over a larger revenue base and increases long-term profit margins.
In yet another example of international companies entering the LatAm telecom sector, in December 2025, broadband gear maker GX Group announced its partnership with regional distributor Calculus Networks. This collaboration is part of GX’s vision to expand its business across Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and other rapidly growing markets in the region.
The company identified LatAm as one of the fastest-growing global digital infrastructure markets. According to GX, its strengths in FTTH and 5G broadband CPEs, along with Calculus’ longstanding regional presence and end-to-end delivery, are expected to bring world-class broadband and next-generation photonics solutions to the region.
This partnership will help the Dutch company sell its broadband, fibre-access, Wi-Fi, and data-centre equipment across LatAm, having received much favour in other markets like South Asia, primarily in India.
Sky Brazil and DirecTV Latin America’s parent company, the Argentine-owned Waiken, announced that it would invest $450 million by 2031 to boost entertainment and telecom business across LatAm. The company had also signed an agreement with Amazon in 2024 through its subsidiary, Vrio Corp, to provide satellite internet services across South America, further proving that the region’s telecom sector has piqued global interest. Waiken has also acquired Brazil’s Proxxima to expand its fibre-optic telecom business in the country.
From 2024 to 2025, FDI in Brazil’s telecom sector grew by 20.4% to $7.44 billion. According to the government, the results demonstrate the foreign market’s faith in important verticals, including connectivity, network expansion, and modernisation of telecom services. This growth exemplifies Brazil’s welcoming investment environment.
Digital transformation is an engine of economic growth, and the telecom sector is inseparable from it. Therefore, governments are focused on building and upgrading infrastructure to facilitate a digital economy. Technologies such as 5G and 6G are being developed and adopted widely, and LatAm is no exception. Mobile operators in the region are submitting positive responses to 5G technology, and the adoption rate is forecast to surpass the 50% mark by 2030.
As of 2025, nearly 30 telecom operators had launched 5G services across 13 countries, and 18 more have deployment plans in the coming years. Mobile technology and services accounted for $550 billion in the LatAm economy in 2024, totalling 8.2% of the region’s GDP. By 2030, the sector is forecast to reach $680 billion, which constitutes 8.6% of GDP, betting on the demand and success of 5G, AI and other digital technologies.
Due to aggressive FDIs and a move toward next-gen infrastructure, the telecom sector in LatAm has become an indispensable component of the region’s economic expansion. The region is rapidly overcoming long-standing duopolies and bolstering its digital presence through new market entrants, strategic alliances, and the growth of convergent services. The continual modernisation of Latin America demonstrates its transformation into a profitable, networked, and fiercely competitive global digital powerhouse.
