As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 25, 2010
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
FORM 20-F
Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009
Commission file number: 1-16269
AMÉRICA MÓVIL, S.A.B. DE C.V.
(exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
America Mobile
(translation of registrants name into English)
United Mexican States
(jurisdiction of incorporation)
Lago Alberto 366, Colonia Anáhuac, 11320 México, D.F., México
(address of principal executive offices)
Daniela Lecuona Torras, Telephone: (5255) 2581-4449, E-mail: daniela.lecuona@americamovil.com,
Facsimile: (5255) 2581-4422, Lago Alberto 366, Colonia Anáhuac, Edificio Telcel I, Segundo Piso, 11320,
México, D.F., México
(name, telephone, e-mail and/or facsimile number and address of company contact person)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class: | Name of each exchange on which registered: | |
American Depositary Shares, each representing 20 L Shares, without par value | New York Stock Exchange | |
L Shares, without par value | New York Stock Exchange (for listing purposes only) | |
American Depositary Shares, each representing 20 A Shares, without par value | NASDAQ National Market | |
A Shares, without par value | NASDAQ National Market (for listing purposes only) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act: None
The number of outstanding shares of each of the registrants classes of capital or common stock as of December 31, 2009:
11,712 million | AA Shares | |
451 million | A Shares | |
20,121 million | L Shares |
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. x Yes ¨ No
If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. ¨ Yes x No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. x Yes ¨ No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this Chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). N/A
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of accelerated filer and large accelerated filer in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer x | Accelerated filer ¨ | Non-accelerated filer ¨ |
Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:
U.S. GAAP ¨ | International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board ¨ | Other x |
If other has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow. Item 17 ¨ Item 18 x
If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). ¨ Yes x No
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PART I
Item 3. | Key Information |
This annual report includes our audited consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2008 and 2009 and for each of the three years ended December 31, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Mexican Financial Reporting Standards (Normas de Información Financiera Mexicanas or Mexican FRS) and are presented in Mexican pesos. The financial statements of our non-Mexican subsidiaries have been adjusted to conform to Mexican FRS and translated to Mexican pesos. See Note 2(a)(ii) to our audited consolidated financial statements.
Mexican FRS differs in certain respects from U.S. GAAP. Note 21 to the audited consolidated financial statements provides a description of the principal differences between Mexican FRS and U.S. GAAP, as they relate to us, a reconciliation to U.S. GAAP of net income and total shareholders equity and a cash flow statement for the year ended December 31, 2007 under U.S. GAAP.
Under Mexican FRS, our financial statements for periods ending prior to January 1, 2008 recognized the effects of inflation on financial information. Inflation accounting under Mexican FRS had extensive effects on the presentation of our financial statements through 2007. See Note 2f to our audited consolidated financial statements.
Beginning with the year ended December 31, 2012, Mexican issuers with securities listed on a Mexican securities exchange will be required to prepare financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). Issuers may voluntarily report using IFRS before the change in the reporting standards becomes mandatory. We have begun presenting financial statements in accordance with IFRS for the year ended December 31, 2010, with an official IFRS adoption date as of December 31, 2010 and a transition date to IFRS of January 1, 2009.
On December 13, 2006, our shareholders approved the merger of América Telecom, S.A.B. de C.V., or Amtel, our then controlling shareholder, and its subsidiary Corporativo Empresarial de Comunicaciones, S.A. de C.V., or Corporativo, with us. As a result of the merger, we assumed assets and liabilities based on Amtels unaudited financial statements as of October 31, 2006. In accordance with Mexican FRS, the merger with Amtel has been accounted for on a historical basis similar to a pooling of interest basis and we have adjusted our financial information and selected financial information presented in this annual report to include the consolidated assets, liabilities and results of operations of Amtel for periods presented up to December 31, 2006.
References herein to U.S.$ are to U.S. dollars. References herein to pesos, P. or Ps. are to Mexican pesos.
This annual report contains translations of various peso amounts into U.S. dollars at specified rates solely for your convenience. You should not construe these translations as representations by us that the nominal peso or constant peso amounts actually represent the U.S. dollar amounts or could be converted into U.S. dollars at the rate indicated. Unless otherwise indicated, we have translated U.S. dollar amounts from constant pesos at the exchange rate of Ps. 13.0587 to U.S.$1.00, which was the rate reported by Banco de México for December 31, 2009, as published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (Diario Oficial de la Federación, or Official Gazette).
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The selected financial and operating information set forth below has been derived in part from our audited consolidated financial statements, which have been reported on by Mancera S.C., a member practice of Ernst & Young Global, an independent registered public accounting firm. The selected financial and operating information should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, our audited consolidated financial statements.
As of and for the year ended December 31,(1) | ||||||||||||||||
2005(10)(12) | 2006(10)(12) | 2007(10)(11)(12) | 2008(10)(12) | 2009(10) | 2009 | |||||||||||
(2009 and 2008 in millions of pesos, previous years in
millions of constant pesos as of December 31, 2007, except share and per share data)(2) |
(millions of U.S. dollars)(2) | |||||||||||||||
Income Statement Data: |
||||||||||||||||
Mexican FRS |
||||||||||||||||
Operating revenues |
Ps.196,638 | Ps.243,005 | Ps.311,580 | Ps.345,655 | Ps.394,711 | U.S.$ | 30,225 | |||||||||
Operating costs and expenses |
159,928 | 181,971 | 226,386 | 250,109 | 290,502 | 22,246 | ||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
22,955 | 27,884 | 40,406 | 41,767 | 53,082 | 4,065 | ||||||||||
Operating income |
36,710 | 61,034 | 85,194 | 95,546 | 104,209 | 7,980 | ||||||||||
Comprehensive financing (income) cost |
2,790 | 28 | 387 | 13,865 | 2,982 | 228 | ||||||||||
Net income |
33,127 | 44,509 | 58,697 | 59,575 | 76,998 | 5,896 | ||||||||||
Earnings per share: |
||||||||||||||||
Basic(3) |
0.92 | 1.25 | 1.67 | 1.74 | 2.35 | 0.18 | ||||||||||
Diluted(3) |
0.92 | 1.25 | 1.67 | 1.74 | 2.35 | 0.18 | ||||||||||
Dividends declared per share(4) |
0.37 | 0.10 | 1.20 | 0.26 | 0.80 | 0.06 | ||||||||||
Dividends paid per share(5) |
0.37 | 0.12 | 1.20 | 0.26 | 0.80 | 0.06 | ||||||||||
Weighted average number of shares outstanding (millions)(6): |
||||||||||||||||
Basic |
35,766 | 35,459 | 35,149 | 34,220 | 32,738 | |||||||||||
Diluted |
35,766 | 35,459 | 35,149 | 34,220 | 32,738 | |||||||||||
U.S. GAAP |
||||||||||||||||
Operating revenues(7) |
Ps.183,417 | Ps.231,509 | Ps.299,335 | Ps.330,712 | Ps.377,589 | U.S.$ | 28,915 | |||||||||
Operating costs and expenses |
149,415 | 172,170 | 220,294 | 237,737 | 275,392 | 21,089 | ||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
25,037 | 30,020 | 46,698 | 43,961 | 55,139 | 4,222 | ||||||||||
Operating income |
34,002 | 59,339 | 79,041 | 92,975 | 102,198 | 7,826 | ||||||||||
Comprehensive financing (income) cost |
(140 | ) | (1,084 | ) | (267 | ) | 19,629 | 2,864 | 219 | |||||||
Net income |
33,102 | 40,726 | 55,529 | 54,252 | 74,360 | 5,694 | ||||||||||
Earnings per share: |
||||||||||||||||
Basic(3) |
0.92 | 1.15 | 1.58 | 1.58 | 2.27 | 0.17 | ||||||||||
Diluted(3) |
0.92 | 1.15 | 1.58 | 1.58 | 2.27 | 0.17 |
(see footnotes on following page)
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As of and for the year ended December 31,(1) | ||||||||||||||||||
2005(10)(12) | 2006(10)(12) | 2007(10)(11)(12) | 2008(10)(12) | 2009(10)(12) | 2009 | |||||||||||||
(2009 and 2008 in millions of pesos, previous years in millions of constant pesos as of December 31, 2007, except share and per share data)(2) |
(millions of U.S. dollars)(2) | |||||||||||||||||
Balance Sheet Data: |
||||||||||||||||||
Mexican FRS |
||||||||||||||||||
Property, plant and equipment, net |
Ps.120,734 | Ps.143,090 | Ps.167,084 | Ps.209,897 | Ps.227,049 | U.S.$ | 17,387 | |||||||||||
Total assets |
249,171 | 328,325 | 349,121 | 435,455 | 453,008 | 34,690 | ||||||||||||
Short-term debt and current portion of long-term debt |
22,176 | 26,214 | 19,953 | 26,731 | 9,168 | 702 | ||||||||||||
Long-term debt |
68,346 | 89,038 | 84,799 | 116,755 | 101,741 | 7,791 | ||||||||||||
Total stockholders equity(8) |
77,909 | 113,747 | 126,858 | 144,925 | 177,906 | 13,624 | ||||||||||||
Capital stock |
36,565 | 36,555 | 36,552 | 36,532 | 36,524 | 2,797 | ||||||||||||
Number of outstanding shares (millions)(6)(9) |
||||||||||||||||||
AA Shares |
10,915 | 10,859 | 11,712 | 11,712 | 11,712 | |||||||||||||
A Shares |
761 | 571 | 547 | 480 | 451 | |||||||||||||
L Shares |
23,967 | 23,872 | 22,638 | 21,058 | 20,121 | |||||||||||||
U.S. GAAP |
||||||||||||||||||
Property, plant and equipment, net |
Ps.136,871 | Ps.156,449 | Ps.177,424 | Ps.212,264 | Ps.227,349 | U.S.$ | 17,410 | |||||||||||
Total assets |
268,479 | 349,564 | 363,075 | 443,544 | 459,164 | 35,161 | ||||||||||||
Short-term debt and current portion of long-term debt |
22,176 | 26,213 | 19,953 | 26,731 | 9,168 | 702 | ||||||||||||
Long-term debt |
68,346 | 89,037 | 84,799 | 116,755 | 101,741 | 7,791 | ||||||||||||
Capital stock |
37,026 | 37,017 | 37,014 | 36,994 | 36,986 | 2,832 | ||||||||||||
Equity |
93,359 | 125,593 | 137,660 | 151,895 | 190,051 | 14,554 | ||||||||||||
Subscriber Data: |
||||||||||||||||||
Number of subscribers (in thousands) |
93,329 | 124,776 | 157,287 | 186,568 | 204,761 | |||||||||||||
Subscriber growth |
52.70 | % | 33.70 | % | 23.20 | % | 18.60 | % | 9.8 | % | ||||||||
Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges: |
||||||||||||||||||
Mexican FRS(13) |
4.6 | 7.2 | 9.0 | 7.6 | 9.9 | |||||||||||||
U.S. GAAP(14) |
4.5 | 7.0 | 8.7 | 7.5 | 9.7 |
(1) | In accordance with Mexican FRS, the merger with Amtel has been accounted for on a historical basis similar to a pooling of interest basis and we have adjusted our financial information and selected financial information presented in this annual report to include the consolidated assets, liabilities and results of operations of Amtel for periods presented up to December 31, 2006. |
(2) | Except per share, share capital and subscriber data. |
(3) | We have not included earnings or dividends on a per ADS basis. Each L Share ADS represents 20 L Shares and each A Share ADS represents 20 A Shares. |
(4) | Nominal amounts. Figures provided represent the annual dividend declared at the general shareholders meeting and for 2005, 2007 and 2009 include special dividends of Ps. 0.30 per share, Ps. 1.00 per share and Ps. 0.50 per share, respectively. |
(5) | Nominal amounts (except for 2009). For more information on dividends paid per share translated into U.S. dollars, see Financial InformationDividends under Item 8. Amount in U.S. dollars translated at the exchange rate on each of the respective payment dates. |
(6) | All L Share figures have been adjusted retroactively to reflect a reduction in L Shares as a result of our merger with Amtel. The increase in AA Shares between 2006 and 2007 was due to the exchange of shares of Amtel for our shares in connection with our merger with Amtel. Subject to certain restrictions, the shareholders of Amtel were free to elect to receive L Shares or AA Shares. |
3
(7) | The differences between our Mexican FRS and U.S. GAAP operating revenues include the reclassification of (1) the application of ASC 605-50, Customer Payments and Incentives, which we have applied to all periods presented in this table and which resulted in a reclassification of certain commissions paid to distributors from commercial, administrative and general expenses under Mexican FRS to reductions in operating revenues under U.S. GAAP, and (2) the application of ASC 605-25, Multiple Element Arrangements, which addresses certain aspects of accounting for sales that involved multiple revenue generating products and/or services sold under a single contractual agreement. See Note 21 to our audited consolidated financial statements. |
(8) | Includes non-controlling interest. |
(9) | As of year-end. |
(10) | Notes 2z.1 and 2z.3 to our audited consolidated financial statements describe new accounting pronouncements under Mexican FRS that came into force in 2008 and 2009. The pronouncements that became effective on January 1, 2008 and 2009, were fully implemented in the financial statements included in this annual report. These new accounting pronouncements were applied on a prospective basis. As a result, the financial statements of prior years, which are presented for comparative purposes, have not been modified and may not be comparable to our financial statements for 2009. |
(11) | Beginning in 2007, we capitalize interest under Mexican FRS. |
(12) | Net income and shareholders equity information under U.S. GAAP for prior years were retrospectively adjusted for presentation and disclosure purposes, in accordance with amendments to Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 810, Consolidation. ASC 810 states that a non-controlling interest in a subsidiary is an ownership interest in the consolidated entity that should be reported as equity in the consolidated financial statements, and requires consolidated net income to be reported at amounts that include the amounts attributable to both the parent and the non-controlling interest. |
(13) | Earnings, for this purpose, consist of earnings from continuing operations before income taxes, plus fixed charges and depreciation of capitalized interest and minus interest capitalized during the period. Through December 31, 2006, for Mexican FRS purposes, employee profit-sharing is considered an income tax and earnings are calculated before the provision for employee profit-sharing. Fixed charges, for this purpose, consist of interest expense plus interest capitalized during the period. Fixed charges do not take into account gain or loss from monetary position or exchange gain or loss attributable to our indebtedness. |
(14) | Earnings, for this purpose, consist of earnings from continuing operations before income taxes, plus fixed charges and depreciation of capitalized interest and minus interest capitalized during the period. Under U.S. GAAP, employee profit-sharing is considered an operating expense and earnings are calculated after the provision for employee profit-sharing. Fixed charges, for this purpose, consist of interest expense plus interest capitalized during the period. Fixed charges do not take into account gain or loss from monetary position or exchange gain or loss attributable to our indebtedness. |
4
Mexico has a free market for foreign exchange, and the Mexican government allows the peso to float freely against the U.S. dollar. There can be no assurance that the Mexican government will maintain its current policies with regard to the peso or that the peso will not depreciate or appreciate significantly in the future.
The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high, low, average and period-end noon buying rate in New York City for cable transfers in pesos published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, expressed in pesos per U.S. dollar. The rates have not been restated in constant currency units and therefore represent nominal historical figures.
Period |
High | Low | Average(1) | Period End | ||||
2005 |
11.4110 | 10.4135 | 10.8680 | 10.6275 | ||||
2006 |
11.4600 | 10.4315 | 10.9023 | 10.7995 | ||||
2007 |
11.2692 | 10.6670 | 10.9253 | 10.9169 | ||||
2008 |
13.9350 | 9.9166 | 11.2124 | 13.8320 | ||||
2009 |
15.4060 | 12.6318 | 13.5777 | 13.0576 | ||||
November |
13.3754 | 12.8585 | ||||||
December |
12.6318 | 13.0775 | ||||||
2010 |
||||||||
January |
13.0285 | 12.6500 | ||||||
February |
13.1940 | 12.7987 | ||||||
March |
12.7410 | 12.3005 | ||||||
April |
12.4135 | 12.1556 |
(1) | Average of month-end rates. |
On May 14, 2010, the noon buying rate was Ps. 12.5820 to U.S.$1.00.
We will pay any cash dividends in pesos, and exchange rate fluctuations will affect the U.S. dollar amounts received by holders of American Depositary Shares, or ADSs, on conversion by the depositary of cash dividends on the shares represented by such ADSs. Fluctuations in the exchange rate between the peso and the U.S. dollar affect the U.S. dollar equivalent of the peso price of our shares on the Mexican Stock Exchange (Bolsa Mexicana de Valores, S.A.B. de C.V., or the Mexican Stock Exchange) and, as a result, can also affect the market price of the ADSs.
5
This annual report contains forward-looking statements. We may from time to time make forward-looking statements in our periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, on Forms 20-F and 6-K, in our annual report to shareholders, in offering circulars and prospectuses, in press releases and other written materials, and in oral statements made by our officers, directors or employees to analysts, institutional investors, representatives of the media and others. Examples of such forward-looking statements include:
| projections of operating revenues, net income (loss), net income (loss) per share, capital expenditures, dividends, capital structure or other financial items or ratios; |
| statements of our plans, objectives or goals, including those relating to acquisitions, competition, regulation and rates; |
| statements about our future economic performance or that of Mexico or other countries in which we operate; |
| competitive developments in the telecommunications sector in each of the markets where we currently operate; |
| other factors or trends affecting the telecommunications industry generally and our financial condition in particular; and |
| statements of assumptions underlying the foregoing statements. |
We use words such as believe, anticipate, plan, expect, intend, target, estimate, project, predict, forecast, guideline, should and other similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements, but they are not the only way we identify such statements.
Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. We caution you that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the plans, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements. These factors, some of which are discussed under Risk Factors, include economic and political conditions and government policies in Mexico, Brazil or elsewhere, inflation rates, exchange rates, regulatory developments, technological improvements, customer demand and competition. We caution you that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive and that other risks and uncertainties may cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. We do not undertake any obligation to update such statements in light of new information or future developments.
You should evaluate any statements made by us in light of these important factors.
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Risks Relating to Our Businesses
Competition in the wireless industry is intense and could adversely affect the revenues and profitability of our business
Our wireless businesses face substantial competition from other wireless providers. We also face competition from fixed-line telephone companies and, increasingly, other service providers such as cable, paging, trunking and Internet companies because of the trend towards convergence of telecommunication services.
Competition in our markets has intensified in recent periods, and we expect that it will continue to intensify in the future as a result of the entry of new competitors, the development of new technologies, products and services, and the auction of additional spectrum. We also expect the current consolidation trend in the wireless industry to continue, as companies respond to the need for cost reduction and additional spectrum. This trend may result in larger competitors with greater financial, technical, promotional and other resources to compete with our businesses. Telefónica, S.A. (Telefónica Móviles), which has important operations in Mexico and Brazil, as well as other of our markets, consolidated its position as our largest regional competitor through several acquisitions.
Among other things, our competitors could:
| provide increased handset subsidies; |
| offer higher commissions to retailers; |
| provide free airtime or other services (such as Internet access); |
| expand their networks faster; or |
| develop and deploy improved wireless technologies faster. |
Competition can result in increases in advertising and promotional spending and reductions in prices for services and handsets. In addition, portability requirements, which enable customers to switch wireless providers without changing their wireless numbers, have been introduced in some of our markets, including Mexico and Brazil, and may be introduced in other markets in the near future.
These developments may lead to smaller operating margins, greater choices for customers, possible consumer confusion and increasing movement of customers among competitors, which may make it difficult for us to retain customers or add new customers. The cost of adding new customers may also continue to increase, reducing profitability even if customer growth continues.
Our ability to compete successfully will depend on our coverage, the quality of our network and service, our rates, customer service, marketing and our ability to anticipate and respond to various competitive factors affecting the telecommunications industry, including new services and technologies, changes in consumer preferences, demographic trends, economic conditions and discount pricing strategies by competitors. If we are unable to respond to competition and compensate for declining prices by adding new customers, increasing usage and offering new services, our revenues and profitability could decline.
Changes in government regulation could hurt our businesses
Our businesses are subject to extensive government regulation and can be adversely affected by changes in law, regulation or regulatory policy. The licensing, construction, operation, sale, resale and interconnection
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arrangements of wireless telecommunications systems in Latin America and elsewhere are regulated to varying degrees by government or regulatory authorities. Any of these authorities having jurisdiction over our businesses could adopt or change regulations or take other actions that could adversely affect our operations. In particular, the regulation of prices that operators may charge for their services could have a material adverse effect on us by reducing our profit margins.
These risks are significant in all of the markets in which we operate. See Mexican OperationsRegulation and Non-Mexican OperationsRegulation under Item 4. The risks in our largest markets, for example, include the following.
| In Mexico, the business of Radiomóvil Dipsa, S.A. de C.V., or Telcel, is subject to extensive government regulation, principally by the Mexican Ministry of Communications and Transportation (Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, or SCT), the Federal Telecommunications Commission (Comisión Federal de Telecomunicaciones, or Cofetel), the Federal Antitrust Commission (Comisión Federal de Competencia, or Cofeco) and the Federal Consumer Bureau (Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor, or Profeco), and may be adversely affected by changes in law or by actions of Mexican regulatory authorities. In particular, there has been extensive controversy and dispute in Mexico concerning the interconnection fees payable by local and long-distance operators to mobile operators. If these disputes are resolved against us, the consequences for our business could be material. |
| In Brazil, our business is regulated principally by the Brazilian National Telecommunications Agency (Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações, or Anatel) and may be adversely affected by its actions or changes in its regulations. In particular, Anatel has defined a series of cost-based methods, including the fully allocated cost methodology, for determining interconnection fees charged by operators belonging to an economic group with significant market power. Anatel has not published all of the applicable regulations, but the implementation of the cost-based methodology is expected to take effect during 2010. Anatel published during the first quarter of 2010 a public consultation determining that economic groups with more than 20% of market share will be considered to have significant market power only for purposes of interconnection fees. Should this proposal be approved, we will be deemed to be an economic group with significant market power, which may affect the results of our Brazilian operations. If approved by Anatel, the effects of the public consultation will take place during 2010, thus becoming Anatel regulation. |
| In Colombia, the Colombian Ministry of Information and Communications (Ministerio de Tecnologías de la Información y las Comunicaciones, or Ministry of Communications) and the Colombian Communications Regulation Commission (Comisión de Regulación de Comunicaciones, or CRC) are responsible for regulating and overseeing the telecommunications sector, including cellular operations. In September 2009, the CRC issued a series of resolutions stating that Comunicación Celular, S.A. (Comcel), our Colombian subsidiary, has a dominant position in Colombias market for outgoing mobile services. Under Colombian law, a market participant is considered to have a dominant position in a specified market if the regulators determine that it has the capacity to control the conditions in that market. The CRC made its determination based on Comcels traffic, revenues and subscriber base. The resolutions also included regulations that would require Comcel to charge rates (excluding access fees) for mobile-to-mobile calls outside the Comcel network (off net) that are no higher than the fees charged for mobile-to-mobile calls within the Comcel network (on net) plus access fees. The regulations were first implemented on December 4, 2009. These regulations will limit Comcels flexibility in offering pricing plans to its customers, but we cannot predict the effects on its financial performance. See Legal ProceedingsComcel Dominant Position under Item 8. |
In addition, changes in political administrations could lead to the adoption of policies concerning competition and taxation of communications services that may be detrimental to our operations throughout Latin America. These restrictions, which may take the form of preferences for local over foreign ownership of communications licenses and assets, or for government over private ownership, may make it impossible for us to
8
continue to develop our businesses. These restrictions could result in our incurring losses of revenues and require capital investments all of which could materially adversely affect our businesses and results of operations.
Dominant carrier regulations could hurt our business by limiting our ability to pursue competitive and profitable strategies
Cofetel is authorized to impose specific requirements as to rates, service quality and information on any wireless operator that is determined by Cofeco to have substantial market power in a specific market. In two investigations, Cofeco has issued resolutions concluding that Telcel has substantial market power in the national mobile telephone services relevant market. Under the Antitrust Law (Ley Federal de Competencia Económica) and the Telecommunications Law (Ley Federal de Telecomunicaciones), if Cofeco makes a final finding of substantial market power concerning an operator, Cofetel can impose on that operator specific regulations with respect to tariffs, quality of service and information. We cannot predict what regulatory steps Cofetel might take in response to determinations by Cofeco. We believe that if dominant carrier regulations are imposed on our business in the future, they will likely reduce our flexibility to adopt competitive market policies and impose specific tariff requirements or other special regulations on us, such as additional requirements regarding disclosure of information or quality of service. Any such new regulation could have a material adverse effect on our operations.
Cofeco is also conducting four investigations into whether Telcel has engaged in monopolistic practices. Adverse determinations against Telcel in any of the ongoing investigations could also result in material fines, penalties or restrictions on our operations.
We will, in the future, have to acquire additional radio spectrum capacity in order to expand our customer base and maintain the quality of our services
Licensed radio spectrum is essential to our growth and the quality of our services, particularly for GSM and UMTS services and increased deployment of 3G networks to offer value-added services. We can increase the density of our network, thus reducing our need for additional spectrum by building more cell and switch sites, but such measures are costly and would be subject to local restrictions and approvals, and they will not fully meet our needs.
In 2005, we acquired the right to use 10 megahertz in the 1900 megahertz spectrum in each of Mexicos nine regions, through a public auction. We also bid and won the auction for an additional 10 megahertz of capacity in three principal regions, but were subsequently prohibited from acquiring this additional spectrum based on restrictions imposed by Cofeco. On January 6, 2010, Cofetel published conditions for spectrum auctions. In April 2010, both Cofetel and Cofeco authorized Telcels participation in the aforesaid auctions.
Participation in spectrum auctions requires prior governmental authorization (including prior approval from Cofeco).
Our concessions and licenses are for fixed terms, and conditions may be imposed on their renewal
Our concessions and licenses have specified terms, ranging typically from 10 to 30 years, and are generally subject to renewal upon payment of a fee, but renewal is not assured. The loss of, or failure to renew, any one concession could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Our ability to renew concessions and the terms of renewal are subject to a number of factors beyond our control, including the prevalent regulatory and political environment at the time of renewal. Fees are typically established at the time of renewal. As a condition for renewal, we may be required to agree to new and stricter terms and service requirements. If our concessions are not renewed, we are required to transfer the assets covered by the concession to the government, generally for fair market value, although certain jurisdictions provide for other valuation methodologies.
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In Mexico, the Mexican Telecommunications Law also gives certain rights to the Mexican government, including the right to revoke the concessions pursuant to an expropriation or to take over the management of Telcels networks, facilities and personnel in cases of imminent danger to national security, internal peace or the national economy, natural disasters and public unrest.
We continue to look for investment opportunities, and any future acquisitions and related financings could have a material effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition
We continue to look for other investment opportunities in telecommunication companies worldwide, primarily in Latin America and the Caribbean, including in markets where we are already present, and we often have several possible acquisitions under consideration. For example, we may pursue further market consolidation opportunities in Argentina and Brazil depending on their terms and conditions. Any future acquisitions and related financings could have a material effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition, but we cannot give any assurances that we will complete any of them. In addition, we may incur significant costs and expenses as we integrate these companies in our systems, controls and networks.
We may be unsuccessful in addressing the challenges and risks presented by our investments in countries outside Mexico
We have invested in a growing number of telecommunications businesses outside our historical activity of providing wireless telecommunications services in Mexico, and we plan to continue to do so in the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean. Whereas Mexico accounted for 63.0% of our total wireless subscribers as of December 31, 2002 and 71% of our consolidated revenues during 2002, it accounted for 29.4% of our total wireless subscribers as of December 31, 2009 and 36.1% of our consolidated revenues during 2009. During that period, Brazil, as a result of rapid subscriber growth and the acquisitions of BSE S.A. and BCP S.A. (now Claro S.A.), increased its share of our total wireless subscribers from 16.3% as of December 31, 2002 to 22.1% as of December 31, 2009, and it accounted for 20.6% of our consolidated revenues during 2009. These investments outside Mexico may involve risks to which we have not previously been exposed. Some of the investments are in countries that may present different or greater risks, including from competition, than Mexico. We cannot assure you that these investments will be successful.
We are subject to significant litigation
Some of our subsidiaries are subject to significant litigation, which if determined adversely to our interests may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or prospects. In Mexico, for example, there are pending administrative investigations into whether Telcel has substantial market power and whether it has engaged in monopolistic practices, and there are legal proceedings regarding rates for interconnection with other operators. In Brazil, there are pending regulatory proceedings regarding the calculation of inflation-related adjustments due under our concessions with Anatel. In Colombia, there are administrative proceedings against Comcel regarding alleged anti-competitive behavior. Our significant litigation is described in Legal Proceedings under Item 8.
A system failure could cause delays or interruptions of service, which could cause us to lose customers and revenues
We will need to continue to provide our subscribers with reliable service over our network. Some of the risks to our network and infrastructure include the following:
| physical damage to access lines; |
| power surges or outages; |
| limitations on the use of our radiobases; |
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| software defects; |
| natural disasters; and |
| disruptions beyond our control. |
Disruptions may cause interruptions in service or reduced capacity for customers, either of which could cause us to lose subscribers and incur additional expenses.
If our current churn rate increases, our business could be negatively affected
The cost of acquiring a new subscriber is much higher than the cost of maintaining an existing subscriber. Accordingly, subscriber deactivations, or churn, could have a material negative impact on our operating income, even if we are able to obtain one new subscriber for each lost subscriber. Because a substantial majority of our subscribers are prepaid, we do not have long-term contracts with those subscribers. Our weighted monthly average churn rate on a consolidated basis for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2008 was 2.8% and for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2009 was 3.0%. If we experience an increase in our churn rate, our ability to achieve revenue growth could be materially impaired. In addition, a decline in general economic conditions could lead to an increase in churn, particularly among our prepaid subscribers.
We depend on key suppliers and vendors to provide equipment that we need to operate our business
We depend upon various key suppliers and vendors, including Apple, Nokia, Research in Motion (RIM), Sony-Ericsson, Huawei, Motorola, LG and Samsung, to provide us with handsets and network equipment, which we need to operate our business. If these suppliers or vendors fail to provide equipment or service to us on a timely basis, we could experience disruptions, which could have an adverse effect on our revenues and results of operations. In addition, we might be unable to satisfy the requirements contained on our concessions.
Our ability to pay dividends and repay debt depends on our subsidiaries ability to transfer income and dividends to us
We are a holding company with no significant assets other than the shares of our subsidiaries and our holdings of cash and marketable securities. Our ability to pay dividends and repay debt depends on the continued transfer to us of dividends and other income from our subsidiaries. The ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends and make other transfers to us may be limited by various regulatory, contractual and legal constraints that affect our subsidiaries.
Failure to acquire a substantial majority of the outstanding capital stock of Telmex Internacional through the ongoing exchange offers for shares of Telmex Internacional and Carso Global Telecom would affect our ability to complete any post-closing changes in the corporate structure of the combined company, which could reduce or delay the cost savings or revenue benefits to the combined company
On May 11, 2010, we commenced two separate but concurrent offers to acquire outstanding shares of Telmex Internacional, S.A.B. de C.V. (Telmex Internacional) and Carso Global Telecom, S.A.B. de C.V. (CGT). Unless they are extended, the offers are scheduled to expire on June 10, 2010. Consummation of the offer to acquire shares of Telmex Internacional is not conditioned on participation by a minimum number of shares of Telmex Internacional. In addition, pursuant to Mexican law, we will not be in a position to cause the delisting of such shares from the Mexican Stock Exchange and deregistration of such shares from the Mexican National Banking and Securities Commission (Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores, or CNBV) unless, among other things, we obtain at least 95% of the issued and outstanding shares of Telmex Internacional (the level of shareholder approval required for delisting and deregistration under Mexican law). If we acquire less than 100% of the outstanding shares of Telmex Internacional, the existence of minority shareholders at Telmex Internacional, and the continuing listing and registration of Telmex Internacional may generate additional
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expenses and result in administrative inefficiencies. We may also be required to maintain separate audit and corporate practices committees at the boards of directors of América Móvil and Telmex Internacional, and we may be subject to separate reporting requirements with the Mexican Stock Exchange. In addition, all transactions between Telmex Internacional and us could be subject to additional requirements under Mexican law, which may limit our ability to achieve certain savings and to conduct the joint operations as a single business unit in order to achieve our strategic objectives, such as effecting certain changes in the corporate structure of Telmex Internacional and its subsidiaries that could result in significant benefits to the combined company. As a result, it may take longer and be more difficult to effect any post-closing changes in corporate structure and the full amount of the cost synergies and revenue benefits for the combined company may not be obtained or may only be obtained over a longer period of time. This may adversely affect our ability to achieve the expected amount of cost synergies and revenue benefits after the offer to acquire outstanding shares of Telmex Internacional is completed.
If we complete the ongoing exchange offers for shares of Telmex Internacional and CGT, we may fail to realize the business growth opportunities, revenue benefits, cost savings and other benefits anticipated from, or may incur unanticipated costs associated with, the offers and our results of operations, financial condition and the price of our shares may suffer
Our acquisition of Telmex Internacional may not achieve the business growth opportunities, revenue benefits, cost savings and other benefits we anticipate. We believe the offer consideration is justified by these benefits we expect to achieve by combining our operations with those of Telmex Internacional. However, these benefits may not develop and other assumptions upon which the offer consideration was determined may prove to be incorrect, as, among other things, such assumptions were based on publicly available information.
We may be unable to fully implement our business plans and strategies for the combined businesses due to regulatory limitations. Each of América Móvil and Telmex Internacional is subject to extensive government regulation, and we may face regulatory restrictions in our provision of combined services in some of the countries in which we operate. For example, in Brazil, América Móvils and Telmex Internacionals businesses are regulated by Anatel. Pending regulations by Anatel, which focus on economic groups with significant market powers, will impose new cost-based methodologies for determining interconnection fees charged by operators in Brazil. We cannot predict whether Anatel would impose specific regulations that would affect our combined operations more adversely than they would affect our individual operations. In Mexico, Telcel is part of an industry-wide investigation by Cofeco to determine whether any operators possess substantial market power or engage in certain monopolistic practices in certain segments of the Mexican telecommunications market. CGT is the direct holder of approximately 59.4% of the outstanding capital stock of Teléfonos de Mexico, S.A.B. de C.V. (Telmex), and we will be acquiring a controlling interest in Telmex through the offer to acquire outstanding shares of CGT. As a result of those investigations, Telmex and Telcel have already been found to have substantial power in certain markets. We cannot predict whether Cofeco or other governmental entities would renew or revise its investigations to take into account the combined businesses.
Under any of these circumstances, the business growth opportunities, revenue benefits, cost savings and other benefits anticipated by us to result from the exchange offers may not be achieved as expected, or at all, or may be delayed. To the extent that we incur higher integration costs or achieve lower revenue benefits or fewer cost savings than expected, our results of operations and financial condition may suffer.
Our consolidated indebtedness will increase substantially if we complete the ongoing exchange offers for shares of Telmex Internacional and CGT
Our consolidated indebtedness will increase as a result of the ongoing exchange offers for shares of Telmex Internacional and CGT. As of December 31, 2009, we had, on an unconsolidated basis (parent company only), unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness and guarantees of subsidiary indebtedness of approximately
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Ps. 99,316 million (U.S.$7,605 million). In addition, each of Telmex Internacional, CGT and Telmex has substantial consolidated indebtedness which will be consolidated in our financial statements for future periods with our consolidated indebtedness if the exchange offers are completed.
Completing the offer to acquire outstanding shares of Telmex Internacional could require a substantial expenditure of cash
If all shareholders of Telmex Internacional other than CGT participate in the offer to acquire outstanding shares of Telmex Internacional and elect to receive the cash consideration, we will be required to pay approximately Ps. 82,495 million (U.S.$6,669 million based on the April 30, 2010 exchange rate). At current market prices, the value of the cash consideration exceeds the value of the share consideration. So we expect many shareholders to elect cash consideration, although these conditions may change before the expiration of the offer to acquire outstanding shares of Telmex Internacional.
Risks Relating to the Wireless Industry Generally
Changes in the wireless industry could affect our future financial performance
The wireless communications industry is experiencing significant changes as new technologies are developed that offer subscribers an array of choices for their communications needs. These changes include, among others, regulatory changes, evolving industry standards, ongoing improvements in the capacity and quality of digital technology, shorter development cycles for new products, and changes in end-user needs and preferences. In Mexico and in the other countries in which we conduct business, there is uncertainty as to the pace and extent of growth in subscriber demand, and as to the extent to which prices for airtime and line rental may continue to decline. If we are unable to meet future advances in competing technologies on a timely basis or at an acceptable cost, we could lose subscribers to our competitors. In general, the development of new services in our industry requires us to anticipate and respond to the varied and continually changing demands of our subscribers. We may not be able to accurately predict technological trends or the success of new services in the market. In addition, there could be legal or regulatory restraints to our introduction of new services. If these services fail to gain acceptance in the marketplace, or if costs associated with implementation and completion of the introduction of these services materially increase, our ability to retain and attract subscribers could be adversely affected.
There are four existing digital technologies for wireless communications, none of which is compatible with the others except for long term evolution (LTE), which is compatible with global system for mobile communications (GSM). In the past, Telcel and certain of our international businesses used time division multiple access (TDMA) technology for their digital networks, while certain of our other international businesses used code division multiple access (CDMA) as their digital wireless technology. We have introduced GSM technology in all of our markets (excluding TracFone Wireless, Inc.). Also, Telcel and all of our international businesses (excluding Tracfone Wireless, Inc.) launched new networks using the UMTS and HSDPA third generation technology between 2007 and 2009. We expect to complete the deployment of the third generation technology in the following years. If future wireless technologies that gain widespread acceptance are not compatible with the technologies we use, we may be required to make capital expenditures in excess of our current forecasts in order to upgrade and replace our technology and infrastructure.
The intellectual property rights utilized by us, our suppliers or service providers may infringe on intellectual property rights owned by others
Some of our products and services use intellectual property that we own or license from others. We also provide content services we receive from content distributors, such as ring tones, text games, video games, wallpapers or screensavers, and outsource services to service providers, including billing and customer care
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functions, that incorporate or utilize intellectual property. We and some of our suppliers, content distributors and service providers have received, and may receive in the future, assertions and claims from third parties that the products or software utilized by us or our suppliers, content distributors and service providers infringe on the patents or other intellectual property rights of these third parties. These claims could require us or an infringing supplier, content distributor or service provider to cease engaging in certain activities, including selling, offering and providing the relevant products and services. Such claims and assertions also could subject us to costly litigation and significant liabilities for damages or royalty payments, or require us to cease certain activities or to cease selling certain products and services.
We may incur significant losses from wireless fraud and from our failure to successfully manage collections
Our wireless businesses incur losses and costs associated with the unauthorized use of these wireless networks, particularly their analog cellular networks. These costs include administrative and capital costs associated with detecting, monitoring and reducing the incidence of fraud. Fraud also affects interconnection costs, capacity costs, administrative costs and payments to other carriers for unbillable fraudulent roaming. Although we seek to combat this problem through the deployment of anti-fraud technologies and other measures, we cannot assure you that these efforts will be effective or that fraud will not result in material costs for us in the future.
Cloning, which is one form of wireless fraud, involves the use of scanners and other electronic devices to obtain illegally telephone numbers and electronic serial numbers during cellular transmission. Stolen telephone and serial number combinations can be programmed into a cellular phone and used to obtain improper access to cellular networks. Roaming fraud occurs when a phone programmed with a number stolen from one of our subscribers is used to place fraudulent calls from another carriers market, resulting in a roaming fee charged to us that cannot be collected from the subscriber.
Concerns about health risks relating to the use of wireless handsets and base stations may adversely affect our business
Portable communications devices have been alleged to pose health risks, including cancer, due to radio frequency emissions from these devices. Lawsuits have been filed in the United States against certain participants in the wireless industry alleging various adverse health consequences as a result of wireless phone usage, and our businesses may be subject to similar litigation in the future. Research and studies are ongoing, and there can be no assurance that further research and studies will not demonstrate a link between radio frequency emissions and health concerns. Any negative findings in these studies could adversely affect the use of wireless handsets and, as a result, our future financial performance.
Developments in the telecommunications sector have resulted, and may in the future result, in substantial write-downs of the carrying value of certain of our assets
We review on a annual basis, or more frequently where the circumstances require, the value of each of our assets and subsidiaries, to assess whether those carrying values can be supported by the future cash flows expected to be derived from such assets. Whenever we consider that due to changes in the economic, regulatory, business or political environment, our goodwill, intangible assets or fixed assets may be impaired, we consider the necessity of performing certain valuation tests, which may result in impairment charges. The recognition of impairments of tangible, intangible and financial assets results in a non-cash charge on the income statement, which could adversely affect our results of operations. For example, during 2007 and 2008, we recorded charges in respect of certain analog, TDMA and CDMA equipment in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador following our decision to discontinue using the equipment.
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Risks Relating to Our Controlling Shareholders, Capital Structure and Transactions with Affiliates
Members of one family may be deemed to control us
According to reports of beneficial ownership of our shares filed with the SEC, Carlos Slim Helú, together with his sons and daughters (together, the Slim Family), including his son and chairman of our board of directors, Patrick Slim Domit, may be deemed to control us. The Slim Family may be able to elect a majority of the members of our board of directors and to determine the outcome of other actions requiring a vote of our shareholders, except in very limited cases that require a vote of the holders of L Shares. We cannot assure you that the Slim Family will not take actions that are inconsistent with your interests.
We have significant transactions with affiliates
We engage in transactions with Telmex, Telmex Internacional, and certain of their subsidiaries and with certain subsidiaries of Grupo Carso, S.A.B. de C.V. and Grupo Financiero Inbursa, S.A.B. de C.V., all of which are affiliates of América Móvil. Many of these transactions occur in the ordinary course of business and, in the case of transactions with Telmex, are subject to applicable telecommunications regulations in Mexico. Transactions with affiliates may create the potential for conflicts of interest.
We also make investments together with affiliated companies, sell our investments to related parties and buy investments from related parties. We may pursue joint investments in the telecommunications industry with Telmex and Telmex Internacional. For more information about our transactions with affiliates see Related Party Transactions under Item 7.
Our bylaws restrict transfers of shares in some circumstances
Our bylaws provide that any acquisition or transfer of more than 10% of our capital stock by any person or group of persons acting together requires the approval of our Board of Directors. If you acquire or transfer more than 10% of our capital stock, you will not be able to do so without the approval of our Board of Directors.
The protections afforded to minority shareholders in Mexico are different from those in the United States
Under Mexican law, the protections afforded to minority shareholders are different from those in the United States. In particular, the law concerning fiduciary duties of directors is not as fully developed as in other jurisdictions, there is no procedure for class actions, and there are different procedural requirements for bringing shareholder lawsuits. As a result, in practice it may be more difficult for minority shareholders of América Móvil to enforce their rights against us or our directors or controlling shareholder than it would be for shareholders of a company incorporated in another jurisdiction, such as the United States.
Holders of L Shares and L Share ADSs have limited voting rights, and holders of ADSs may vote only through the depositary
Our bylaws provide that holders of L Shares are not permitted to vote except on such limited matters as, among others, the transformation or merger of América Móvil or the cancellation of registration of the L Shares with the National Securities Registry (Registro Nacional de Valores, or RNV) maintained by CNBV or any stock exchange on which they are listed. If you hold L Shares or L Share ADSs, you will not be able to vote on most matters, including the declaration of dividends, that are subject to a shareholder vote in accordance with our bylaws.
Holders of ADSs are not entitled to attend shareholders meetings, and they may only vote through the depositary
Under our bylaws, a shareholder is required to deposit its shares with a custodian in order to attend a shareholders meeting. A holder of ADSs will not be able to meet this requirement, and accordingly is not
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entitled to attend shareholders meetings. A holder of ADSs is entitled to instruct the depositary as to how to vote the shares represented by ADSs, in accordance with procedures provided for in the deposit agreements, but a holder of ADSs will not be able to vote its shares directly at a shareholders meeting or to appoint a proxy to do so.
Mexican law and our bylaws restrict the ability of non-Mexican shareholders to invoke the protection of their governments with respect to their rights as shareholders
As required by Mexican law, our bylaws provide that non-Mexican shareholders shall be considered as Mexicans in respect of their ownership interests in América Móvil and shall be deemed to have agreed not to invoke the protection of their governments in certain circumstances. Under this provision, a non-Mexican shareholder is deemed to have agreed not to invoke the protection of his own government by asking such government to interpose a diplomatic claim against the Mexican government with respect to the shareholders rights as a shareholder, but is not deemed to have waived any other rights it may have, including any rights under the U.S. securities laws, with respect to its investment in América Móvil. If you invoke such governmental protection in violation of this provision, your shares could be forfeited to the Mexican government.
Our bylaws may only be enforced in Mexico
Our bylaws provide that legal actions relating to the execution, interpretation or performance of the bylaws may be brought only in Mexican courts. As a result, it may be difficult for non-Mexican shareholders to enforce their shareholder rights pursuant to the bylaws.
It may be difficult to enforce civil liabilities against us or our directors, officers and controlling persons
América Móvil is a sociedad anónima bursátil de capital variable organized under the laws of Mexico, with its principal place of business (domicilio social) in Mexico City, and most of our directors, officers and controlling persons reside outside the United States. In addition, all or a substantial portion of our assets and their assets are located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States on such persons or to enforce judgments against them, including in any action based on civil liabilities under the U.S. federal securities laws. There is doubt as to the enforceability against such persons in Mexico, whether in original actions or in actions to enforce judgments of U.S. courts, of liabilities based solely on the U.S. federal securities laws.
You may not be entitled to participate in future preemptive rights offerings
Under Mexican law, if we issue new shares for cash as part of certain capital increases, we must grant our shareholders the right to purchase a sufficient number of shares to maintain their existing ownership percentage in América Móvil. Rights to purchase shares in these circumstances are known as preemptive rights. Our shareholders do not have preemptive rights in certain circumstances such as mergers, convertible debentures, public offers and placement of repurchased shares. We may not legally be permitted to allow holders of ADSs or holders of L Shares or A Shares in the United States to exercise any preemptive rights in any future capital increase unless we file a registration statement with the SEC, with respect to that future issuance of shares. At the time of any future capital increase, we will evaluate the costs and potential liabilities associated with filing a registration statement with the SEC and any other factors that we consider important to determine whether we will file such a registration statement.
We cannot assure you that we will file a registration statement with the SEC to allow holders of ADSs or U.S. holders of L Shares or A Shares to participate in a preemptive rights offering. As a result, the equity interest of such holders in América Móvil may be diluted proportionately. In addition, under current Mexican law, it is not practicable for the depositary to sell preemptive rights and distribute the proceeds from such sales to ADS holders.
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Risks Relating to Developments in Mexico and Other Countries
Latin American and Caribbean economic, political and social conditions may adversely affect our business
Our financial performance may be significantly affected by general economic, political and social conditions in the markets where we operate, particularly Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Central America. Many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Mexico, Brazil and Argentina have suffered significant economic, political and social crises in the past, and these events may occur again in the future. Many of these countries, including Honduras, Uruguay and Chile, recently held elections and others including Brazil and Colombia will hold presidential elections in 2010. We cannot predict whether changes in administrations will result in changes in governmental policy and whether such changes will affect our business. Instability in the region has been caused by many different factors, including:
| significant governmental influence over local economies; |
| substantial fluctuations in economic growth; |
| high levels of inflation; |
| changes in currency values; |
| exchange controls or restrictions on expatriation of earnings; |
| high domestic interest rates; |
| wage and price controls; |
| changes in governmental economic or tax policies; |
| imposition of trade barriers; |
| unexpected changes in regulation; and |
| overall political, social and economic instability. |
Adverse economic, political and social conditions in Latin America may inhibit demand for wireless services and create uncertainty regarding our operating environment, which could have a material adverse effect on our company.
Our business may be especially affected by conditions in Mexico and Brazil, our two principal markets. Mexico has experienced a prolonged period of slow growth since 2001, primarily as a result of the downturn in the U.S. economy. According to preliminary data, during 2009, Mexicos gross domestic product, or GDP, decreased by 6.54% in real terms. In 2008, GDP decreased by 1.5%. Mexico has also experienced high levels of inflation and high domestic interest rates in the past. The annual rate of inflation, as measured by changes in the National Consumer Price Index as published by the Banco de México, was 3.57% for 2009.
Brazil has also experienced slow economic growth over the past several years. Brazils GDP decreased by an estimated 0.1% in real terms in 2009, compared to a growth rate of 4.8% in 2008. Brazil has in the past experienced extremely high rates of inflation, with annual rates of inflation during the last years reaching as high as 2,489% in 1993 and 929% in 1994, as measured by the Brazilian National Consumer Price Index. More recently, Brazils rates of inflation were 4.5% in 2007, 5.9% in 2008 and 4.3% in 2009. Inflation, governmental measures to combat inflation and public speculation about possible future actions have in the past had significant negative effects on the Brazilian economy.
Our business may be affected by political developments in Latin America and the Caribbean. We cannot predict whether these recent events will affect our business or our ability to renew our licenses and concessions, to maintain or increase our market share or profitability or will have an impact on future strategic acquisition efforts.
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Depreciation or fluctuation of the currencies in which we conduct operations relative to the U.S. dollar could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations
We are affected by fluctuations in the value of the currencies in which we conduct operations compared to the U.S. dollar, in which a substantial portion of our indebtedness is denominated. Changes in the value of the various currencies in which we conduct operations against the Mexican peso, which we use as our reporting currency in our financial statements, and against the U.S. dollar may result in exchange losses or gains on our net U.S. dollar-denominated indebtedness and accounts payable. In 2007 and 2008, changes in currency exchange rates led us to report foreign exchange gains of Ps. 2,463 million and foreign exchange losses of Ps. 13,686 million, respectively. In 2009, we reported foreign exchange gains of Ps. 4,557 million. In addition, currency fluctuations between the Mexican peso and the currencies of our non-Mexican subsidiaries affect our results as reported in Mexican pesos. Currency fluctuations are expected to continue to affect our financial income and expense.
Major devaluation or depreciation of any such currencies may also result in disruption of the international foreign exchange markets and may limit our ability to transfer or to convert such currencies into U.S. dollars and other currencies for the purpose of making timely payments of interest and principal on our indebtedness. The Mexican government does not currently restrict, and for many years has not restricted, the right or ability of Mexican or foreign persons or entities to convert pesos into U.S. dollars or to transfer other currencies out of Mexico. The government could, however, institute restrictive exchange rate policies in the future. Also, the Brazilian government may impose temporary restrictions on the conversion of Brazilian reais into foreign currencies and on the remittance to foreign investors of proceeds from investments in Brazil. Brazilian law permits the government to impose these restrictions whenever there is a serious imbalance in Brazils balance of payments or a reason to foresee a serious imbalance.
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Item 4. | Information on the Company |
We are the largest provider of wireless communications services in Latin America based on subscribers. As of December 31, 2009, we had 201.0 million wireless subscribers in 18 countries, compared to 182.7 million at year-end 2008. Because our focus is on Latin America, a substantial majority of our wireless subscribers are prepaid customers. We also had an aggregate of approximately 3.8 million fixed lines in Central America and the Caribbean as of December 31, 2009, making us the largest fixed-line operator in Central America and the Caribbean based on the number of subscribers.
Our principal operations are:
| Mexico. Through Radiomóvil Dipsa, S.A. de C.V., which operates under the name Telcel, we provide mobile telecommunications service in all nine regions in Mexico. As of December 31, 2009, we had 59.2 million subscribers in Mexico. We are the largest provider of mobile telecommunications services in Mexico. |
| Brazil. With approximately 44.4 million subscribers as of December 31, 2009, we are one of the three largest providers of wireless telecommunications services in Brazil based on the number of subscribers. We operate in Brazil through our subsidiaries, Claro S.A. and Americel S.A., or Americel, under the unified brand name Claro. Our network covers the main cities in Brazil (including São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro). |
| Southern Cone. We provide wireless services in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile. As of December 31, 2009, we had 21.8 million subscribers in the Southern Cone region. We operate under the Claro brand in the region. |
| Colombia and Panamá. We provide wireless services in Colombia under the Comcel brand. As of December 31, 2009, we had 27.7 million wireless subscribers in Colombia and Panamá. We are the largest wireless provider in Colombia. We began providing wireless services in Panama in March 2009. |
| Andean Region. We provide wireless services in Peru and Ecuador. As of December 31, 2009, we had 17.8 million subscribers in the Andean region. We operate under the Porta brand in Ecuador and under the Claro brand in Peru. |
| Central America. We provide fixed-line and wireless services in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. Our Central American subsidiaries provide wireless services under the Claro brand. As of December 31, 2009, our subsidiaries had 9.7 million wireless subscribers, over 2.3 million fixed-line subscribers in Central America and 0.3 million broadband subscribers. |
| United States. Our U.S. subsidiary, TracFone Wireless Inc., or Tracfone, is engaged in the sale and distribution of prepaid wireless services and wireless phones throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It had approximately 14.4 million subscribers as of December 31, 2009. |
| Caribbean. Compañía Dominicana de Teléfonos, C. por A., or Codetel, is the largest telecommunications service provider in the Dominican Republic with 4.8 million wireless subscribers, 0.8 million fixed-line subscribers and 0.2 million broadband subscribers as of December 31, 2009. We provide fixed-line and broadband services in the Dominican Republic under the Codetel brand and wireless services under the Claro brand. |
Telecomunicaciones de Puerto Rico, Inc., or TELPRI, through its subsidiaries, is the largest telecommunications service provider in Puerto Rico with approximately 0.8 million fixed-line subscribers, 0.8 million wireless subscribers and 0.2 million broadband subscribers as of December 31, 2009. We provide fixed-line and broadband services in Puerto Rico under the PRT brand and wireless services under the Claro brand.
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Oceanic Digital Jamaica Limited, or Oceanic, provides wireless and value added services throughout Jamaica, with 0.4 million wireless subscribers as of December 31, 2009.
América Móvil, S.A.B. de C.V. is a sociedad anónima bursátil de capital variable organized under the laws of Mexico with its principal executive offices at Lago Alberto 366, Edificio Telcel I, Colonia Anáhuac, Delegación Miguel Hidalgo, 11320, México D.F., México. Our telephone number at this location is (5255) 2581-4449.
Our Markets, Networks and Technology
We operate pursuant to concessions, licenses or authorizations to provide wireless telecommunications services in each of the countries in which we operate. We seek to provide a full range of wireless telecommunications services in each of our markets. Our networks are consistently optimized to try to ensure maximum coverage and high quality service. In 2009, we invested Ps. 41,018 million in capital expenditures on our property, plant and equipment. We also seek to expand market share by exploring strategic acquisition opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean.
We use a number of mobile technologies in the markets in which we operate. All of our markets (excluding Tracfone) have global system for mobile communication (GSM) networks for voice and digital transmissions. Through these networks, we provide many of the voice and data services supported by GSM technology, such as short message service (SMS), circuit switch data (CSD), high speed circuit switch data (HSCSD), packet switch data through general packet radio services (GPRS) and enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE).
During 2007, we began deploying networks based on universal mobile telecommunications systems (UMTS) in certain of our principal markets, including Mexico, Brazil and Colombia. UMTS is a system based on the third generation (3G) of mobile phone standards and technology that allows the transmission of large volumes of data at high speeds. 3G technologies enable network operators to offer users a wider range of more advanced services while achieving greater network capacity through improved spectral efficiency. Services include wide-area wireless phone telephony, video calls and broadband data, all in a mobile environment. We are deploying these networks using the high-speed downlink packet access protocol (HSDPA), which is a mobile telephony communications protocol that allows networks based on UMTS to have higher data transfer speeds and capacity. Our HSDPA deployment supports down-link speeds of 3.6 megabits per second. Our 3G networks use the same technology that is generally used throughout Europe to provide 3G services. We elected to deploy the UMTS/HSDPA networks principally because:
| New market opportunities. It allows us to enter new markets and provide new services, such as the wireless broadband market, which we believe has significant growth potential throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. |
| Handset compatibility. UMTS handsets are compatible with our GSM networks, so a customer can use one handset to connect to our UMTS and GSM networks. This allows us to focus the deployment of our new networks in areas of high demand for 3G services, principally large urban areas. |
| Spectral compatibility. With our new networks, we can generally offer 3G services using our existing licenses in the 850 megahertz spectrum, which is being increasingly underutilized by our remaining TDMA customers. In addition to being efficient from a cost perspective, deployment in the 850 megahertz spectrum is more efficient and provides better coverage than deployment in the 1900 megahertz spectrum. |
| Increased voice capacity. Our new networks give us approximately 5.7 times more capacity to provide voice services than our existing GSM network using our current spectrum (considering a 5 megahertz fully-used spectrum). |
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| Cost effective deployment. Unlike some of the 3G networks being deployed in the United States, UMTS networks use some of the same basic network plant and equipment as GSM networks. This has permitted us to achieve a quicker and more cost effective deployment of 3G services, than would have been possible using other technologies. |
We are the first operator to deploy these new technologies in most of our markets. We launched 3G services based on these new technologies in Brazil during the second half of 2007 and in Mexico and Colombia during the first quarter of 2008. As of the date of this annual report, we are offering 3G services in 17 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Our principal markets of operations are Mexico and Brazil, the two largest economies in Latin America. We are the largest provider of wireless communication services in Mexico and one of the three largest in Brazil, based on the number of subscribers at December 31, 2009. In contrast to U.S. practices, both of these markets operate under a form of calling party pays billing system, under which subscribers only pay for outgoing calls. During 2009, our Mexican operations represented 36.1% of our operating revenues and our Brazilian operations represented 20.6% of our operating revenues.
In many of our markets, the regulatory environment has become increasingly more open and flexible over the past decade. These changes have increased competition as markets have become more open to new entrants. In Mexico, these changes have exposed us to competition from domestic competitors and from international operators. In other markets, these changes have allowed us an opportunity to enter as a competitor and capture market share from local providers. However, we operate in many markets that have had and may continue to have volatile economic and political environments, and significant political changes may lead to changes in regulatory environments that can adversely affect our interests and prospects.
Our Strategy
We intend to capitalize on our position as the leader in wireless telecommunications in Latin America to continue to expand our subscriber base, both by development of our existing businesses and selected strategic acquisitions in the region. We seek to become a leader in each of our markets by providing better coverage and services and benefiting from economies of scale. We closely monitor our costs and expenses, and we will continue to explore alternatives to further improve our operating margins.
Operating Information
We count our wireless subscribers by the number of lines activated. We continue to count post-paid subscribers for the length of their contracts. We disconnect, or churn, our postpaid subscribers at the moment they voluntarily discontinue their service or following a prescribed period of time after they become delinquent. We disconnect our prepaid subscribers after a period of four months after they discontinue to use our service, so long as they have not activated a calling card or have received traffic. We calculate our subscriber market share by dividing our own subscriber figures into the total market subscriber figures periodically reported by the regulatory authorities in the markets in which we operate. We understand that these regulatory authorities compile total market subscriber figures based on subscriber figures provided to them by market participants, and we do not independently verify these figures.
Throughout this annual report, we make reference to certain operating data, such as average revenues per subscriber (also referred to as ARPUs), average minutes of use per subscriber (also referred to as average MOUs per subscriber) and churn rate, that are not included in our financial statements. We calculate ARPUs for a given period by dividing service revenues for such period by the average number of subscribers for such period. The figure includes both prepaid and postpaid customers. We calculate churn rate as the total number of customer deactivations for a period divided by total subscribers at the beginning of such period.
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We provide this operating data because it is regularly reviewed by management and because management believes it is useful in evaluating our performance from period to period. We believe that presenting information about ARPUs and MOUs is useful in assessing the usage and acceptance of our products and services, and that presenting churn rate is useful in assessing our ability to retain subscribers. This additional operating information may not be uniformly defined by our competitors. Accordingly, this additional operating information may not be comparable with similarly titled measures and disclosures by other companies.
History
We were established in September 2000 in a spin-off from Telmex, a leading provider of local and long-distance telephone services in Mexico. The spin-off was implemented using a procedure under the Mexican General Corporations Law (Ley General de Sociedades Mercantiles) called escisión. The shares of our company were delivered to Telmex shareholders on February 7, 2001.
Our wireless business in Mexico is conducted through our wholly-owned subsidiary Telcel, which traces its history to the establishment in 1956 of Publicidad Turística, S.A., an affiliate of Telmex that published telephone directories. In 1981, the SCT granted Publicidad Turística, S.A. a concession for the installation and operation of a wireless telephone system in Mexico City. In 1984, Publicidad Turística, S.A. changed its corporate name to Radiomóvil Dipsa, S.A. de C.V., and in 1989, the company began operating under the trademark Telcel.
Between 1988 and 1990, Telcel expanded its cellular network on the 850 megahertz (Band B) frequency spectrum to cover the Mexico City metropolitan area and the cities of Cuernavaca, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana and Toluca, and in 1990, Telcel began offering cellular services in all nine geographic regions of Mexico. Telcel launched a PCS system in Mexico City in 1999 and currently offers the service in all nine geographic regions of Mexico. In October 2002, Telcel launched its GSM network. Since December 2002, Telcel has been authorized to provide long-distance services.
In 1999, we began acquiring our international subsidiaries and investing in our Brazilian operations and our other international affiliates. We made significant acquisitions in Latin America and the Caribbean during the past 11 years, and our non-Mexican operations have generally experienced higher subscriber growth rates in recent periods than our Mexican operations. As a result, as of December 31, 2009, approximately 70.6% of our wireless subscribers were located outside Mexico.
In December 2006, our shareholders approved the merger of Amtel, our then controlling shareholder, and its subsidiary, Corporativo, with us. As a result of the merger, we assumed Amtels net indebtedness, which we refinanced in January 2007. The merger also increased the amount we may use under applicable Mexican tax rules (cuenta de utilidad fiscal neta, or CUFIN) to repurchase shares or pay dividends without incurring additional taxes.
See Mexican Operations, Non-Mexican Operations and Other Investments under this Item 4.
On May 11, 2010, we commenced two separate but concurrent offers to acquire outstanding shares of Telmex Internacional and CGT. Unless extended, the offers will expire on June 10, 2010. Telmex Internacional provides a wide range of telecommunications services in Brazil, Colombia and other countries in Latin America. CGT is a holding company with controlling interests in Telmex Internacional and Telmex. Upon completion of the exchange offers, we will acquire controlling interests in CGT, Telmex Internacional (directly and indirectly thought CGT) and Telmex (indirectly through CGT). The principal purpose of the offers is to pursue synergies between our business and that of Telmex Internacional.
The completion of the two exchange offers is subject to conditions. It is possible that if not all such conditions are obtained or met we will not complete the exchange offers. Accordingly, there can be no assurance as to whether or when the exchange offers will be completed.
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Major Subsidiaries
The table below sets forth our principal subsidiaries, our percentage ownership in each such entity and the main activity of such entity as of the date of this annual report.
Name of Company |
Jurisdiction | Ownership Interest(1) |
Main Activity | ||||
Sercotel, S.A. de C.V. |
Mexico | 100.0 | % | Holding company | |||
AMX Argentina, S.A. |
Argentina | 100.0 | Wireless | ||||
Americel S.A. |
Brazil | 99.4 | Wireless | ||||
Claro S.A. |
Brazil | 99.9 | Wireless | ||||
Claro Chile S.A. |
Chile | 100.0 | Wireless | ||||
Comunicación Celular S.A. (COMCEL) |
Colombia | 99.4 | Wireless | ||||
TracFone Wireless, Inc. |
Delaware | 98.2 | Wireless | ||||
Consorcio Ecuatoriano de Telecomunicaciones, S.A. (CONECEL). |
Ecuador | 100.0 | Wireless | ||||
Compañía de Telecomunicaciones de El Salvador (CTE), S.A. de C.V. |
El Salvador | 95.8 | Fixed-line | ||||
CTE Telecom Personal, S.A. de C.V. |
El Salvador | 95.8 | Wireless | ||||
Telecomunicaciones de Guatemala, S.A. |
Guatemala | 99.2 | Fixed-line/Wireless | ||||
Servicios de Comunicaciones de Honduras, S.A. de C.V. |
Honduras | 100.0 | Wireless | ||||
Oceanic Digital Jamaica Limited |
Jamaica | 99.4 | Wireless | ||||
Empresa Nicaragüense de Telecomunicaciones, S.A. (ENITEL) |
Nicaragua | 99.5 | Fixed-line/Wireless | ||||
Cablenet, S.A. |
Nicaragua | 100.0 | Cable TV | ||||
Estaciones Terrenas de Satélite, S.A. (Estesa) |
Nicaragua | 100.0 | Cable TV | ||||
Radiomóvil Dipsa, S.A. de C.V. |
Mexico | 100.0 | Wireless | ||||
Claro Panamá, S.A.(2) |
Panama | 99.6 | Wireless | ||||
AMX Paraguay, S.A. |
Paraguay | 100.0 | Wireless | ||||
América Móvil Perú, S.A.C. |
Peru | 100.0 | Wireless | ||||
Puerto Rico Telephone Company, Inc. |
Puerto Rico | 100.0 | Fixed-line/Wireless | ||||
PRT Larga Distancia, Inc. |
Puerto Rico | 100.0 | Fixed-line/Wireless | ||||
AM Wireless Uruguay, S.A. |
Uruguay | 100.0 | Wireless | ||||
AMX Tenedora, S.A. de C.V. |
Mexico | 100.0 | Holding company | ||||
Compañía Dominicana de Teléfonos, C. por A. (CODETEL) |
Dominican Republic | 100.0 | Fixed-line/Wireless |
(1) | Percentage of equity owned by América Móvil directly or indirectly through subsidiaries or affiliates. |
(2) | On July 22, 2009, Sercotel withdrew its direct ownership interest in Claro Panamá. However, starting from such date until December 31, 2009, Comcel acquired a 73.1% ownership interest in Claro Panamá. The remaining 26.9% ownership interest in Claro Panamá is held by Telcel. As a result, our ownership interest in Claro Panamá decreased from 100.0% to 99.6%. |
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Our subsidiary Telcel is the leading provider of wireless communications services in Mexico. As of December 31, 2009, our cellular network covered approximately 50.8% of the geographical area of Mexico, including all major cities, and 91.8% of Mexicos population. Telcel holds concessions to operate a wireless network in all nine geographic regions in Mexico using both the 850 megahertz and 1900 megahertz radio spectrums. As of December 31, 2009, we had approximately 59.2 million cellular subscribers and as of December 2009, an approximate 71.2% share of the Mexican wireless market. Approximately 91.2% of our cellular subscribers as of December 31, 2009 were prepaid customers.
In 2009, our Mexican operations had revenues of Ps. 142,135 million (U.S.$10,884 million), representing 36.0% of our consolidated revenues for such period. As of December 31, 2009, our Mexican operations accounted for approximately 29.4% of our total wireless subscribers, as compared to 36.0% at December 31, 2008.
The following table sets forth information on our Mexican operations financial results, subscriber base, coverage and related matters at the dates and for the periods indicated:
December 31, | |||||||||||||||
2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |||||||||||
(peso amounts prior to 2008 in constant Mexican pesos as of December 31, 2007) | |||||||||||||||
Operating revenues (millions) |
Ps.96,710 | Ps.113,295 | Ps.127,027 | Ps.135,278 | Ps.142,135 | ||||||||||
Average monthly revenues per subscriber during preceding 12 months(1) |
Ps. 208 | Ps. 196 | Ps. 188 | Ps. 174 | Ps. 172 | ||||||||||
Operating income (millions) |
Ps.36,837 | Ps. 49,814 | Ps. 59,257 | Ps. 61,983 | Ps. 68,599 | ||||||||||
Cellular lines in service (thousands) |
35,914 | 43,190 | 50,011 | 56,371 | 59,167 | ||||||||||
Subscriber growth during preceding 12 months |
24.5 | % | 20.3 | % | 15.8 | % | 12.7 | % | 5.0 | % | |||||
Company penetration(2) |
34.8 | % | 41.4 | % | 47.5 | % | 53.1 | % | 77.4 | % | |||||
Average monthly minutes of use per subscriber during preceding 12 months |
103 | 113 | 143 | 174 | 194 | ||||||||||
Churn rate(3) |
3.1 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.2 | ||||||||||
Employees |
11,129 | 12,370 | 14,360 | 16,526 | 17,347 |
(1) | Average for the year of the amount obtained each month by dividing service revenues by the average number of customers during such month. The figure includes both prepaid and postpaid customers. |
(2) | Number of cellular lines in service divided by the population of Mexico based on the latest census data available. |
(3) | Total number of customer deactivations for the period divided by total subscribers at the beginning of such period. |
Our Mexican business is subject to comprehensive regulation and oversight by the SCT, Cofetel, Cofeco and Profeco. The SCT is part of the executive branch of the Mexican federal government, and Cofetel is an independent agency of the SCT. Cofeco and Profeco are independent agencies of the Ministry of Economy (Secretaría de Economía). Regulation and oversight are governed by the General Communications Law (Ley de Vías Generales de Comunicación, or the General Communications Law), the Telecommunications Law, the telecommunications regulations adopted under both the General Communications Law and the Telecommunications Law, the Federal Antitrust Law (Ley Federal de Competencia Económica or Federal Antitrust Law), the Federal Customer Protection Law (Ley Federal de Protección al Consumidor) and the concessions and license agreements granted by the SCT. See Regulation.
Unlike the United States, Mexico uses the calling party pays system for cellular calls, under which subscribers only pay for outgoing calls, unless subscribers are outside their local area. See RegulationCalling Party Pays.
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Services and Products
We offer services and products in Mexico directly through Telcel or through Telcels subsidiaries and affiliates in Mexico.
Voice services
We offer wireless voice and data services under a variety of rate plans to meet the needs of different user segments. The rate plans are either postpaid, where the customer is billed monthly for the previous month, or prepaid, where the customer pays in advance for a specified volume of use over a specified period.
Telcels postpaid plans include the following charges:
| monthly charges, which usually include a number of minutes of use and in some cases other services such as short text messages and/or internet services with certain or unlimited capacity, all of which are included in the monthly service charge; |
| usage charges, for usage in excess of the services specified in the monthly charge; and |
| additional charges, including charges for services not included in the monthly charge, which include voicemail, general information and content. |
Certain plans include the cost of national roaming and long-distance in the price per minute so that all calls within Mexico cost the same amount per minute. Some postpaid plans are designed for high and moderate usage subscribers, who are typically willing to pay higher monthly fees in exchange for larger blocks of minutes that are included in the monthly service charge, services such as voicemail, call forwarding, call waiting, caller ID and three-way calling, and lower per minute airtime charges under a single contract. To satisfy the more limited needs of low-usage postpaid subscribers, Telcel also offers plans which provide a moderately priced, fixed monthly charge coupled with a high per minute airtime charge and relatively few included minutes. As part of postpaid plans, Telcel typically offers additional digital services such as voicemail, call forwarding, call waiting, caller ID and three-way calling, which are all included in the monthly fee. In addition, Telcel offers its postpaid customers the flexibility to manage their additional usage costs by contracting additional minutes of use under the prepaid system. Telcel also offers certain packages that may be added to the aforesaid plans, which could include greater SMS capacity (300, 1500 and 2500 SMS), videoconference services (65, 120, 175 or 300 minutes), internet data transfer services (2, 10, 20, 50, 150, 500 or 100 Mbs). Users may incorporate e-mail, push e-mail, file transfer, social networks and browsing services. Additionally, Telcel offers customized services to its corporate clients. Postpaid customers may terminate plans at any time, except customers that receive a handset as part of subscribing to a plan, which must remain with the plan for at least between one year and up to two years, depending on the cost of the handset.
Rates for postpaid plans have not increased since April 1999 and are expected to remain stable as long as the Mexican economic environment remains stable. In recent periods, we have offered postpaid plans that include effective price-per-minute reductions. In addition, Telcel offers discounts and promotions that reduce the effective rates paid by its customers for calls to fixed lines or Telcel and other wireless customers.
We also offer prepaid plans, known as Amigo Kit, which includes activation or monthly charges. Prepaid customers purchase a prepaid credit for a specific amount of airtime that may be used for all services offered by Telcel, except international roaming, which is available for prepaid customers in limited countries.
Prepaid customers typically generate lower levels of cellular usage and are often unwilling to make a fixed financial commitment or do not have the credit profile to purchase postpaid plans. Prepaid services serve the needs of distinct consumer segments such as the youth market, families, customers with variable income who otherwise would not be able to obtain service due to their credit profile, and customers who prefer to pay in cash. Prepaid customers also include parents who wish to control costs for their children.
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Basic rates for prepaid plans have remained unchanged since 2002. However, we offer promotions including: (i) increase in the credit amount depending on the credit purchased; (ii) loyalty programs resulting in decreasing the per minute cost of local voice services (on-net); and (iii) free calls of up to 5 minutes and free SMS for a determined number of preselected local on-net telephone numbers. Beginning in 2006, we offer a preferential rate to customers who have remained active for a period of at least one year with respect to certain outgoing calls. Our prepaid subscribers may choose to be billed per minute (rounding each call to the next full minute), per second (paying a fixed rate for the first minute and another fixed rate for additional seconds), and beginning on April 2007, per call (consisting of a fixed rate for any call lasting up to 10 minutes). Prepaid subscribers may also choose to combine per minute and per call billing (calls lasting up to two minutes are billed on a per minute basis, while calls lasting longer than two minutes are billed on a per call basis for each additional 15 minute block).
Likewise, Telcel offers prepaid services relating to Internet data transfers which are available in a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
National long distance rates for prepaid plans remained at Ps. 2.25 per minute in 2009.
We believe the prepaid market represents a large and growing under-penetrated market in Mexico. Compared to the average postpaid plan, prepaid plans involve higher average per minute airtime charges, lower customer acquisition costs and billing expenses, and low credit or payment risk. However, prepaid customers on average have substantially lower use than postpaid customers and do not pay monthly fees and, as a result, generate substantially lower average monthly revenues per customer.
Data services
Short Message Services (SMS)
In January 2002, we began to offer two-way SMS to our customers as part of its value-added services. Since the launch of two-way SMS, Telcel has experienced significant growth in traffic. Through arrangements with other mobile operators, Telcel began to offer to its customers the ability to send and receive short messages to and from users of networks of other carriers throughout Mexico in the fourth quarter of 2003. Since December 2004, postpaid and prepaid customers may send and receive short messages to and from users of networks in the United States and other countries. In 2007, Telcel began to offer to its customers the ability to send and receive short messages to and from users of Nextel México, the largest trunking carrier in Mexico.
Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)
As an enhanced version of SMS, MMS allows customers the capability to send, in a single message, multiple color images, sounds and text to another mobile phone or e-mail account. Telcel began to offer MMS through GSM technology to postpaid and prepaid customers in March 2003. Beginning in 2007, our customers can also send and receive multimedia messages to and from users of networks of other Mexican carriers.
Premium SMS, Premium MMS
In April 2002, we became the first Mexican operator to offer premium information services through our SMS capabilities, including weather reports, financial quotes and entertainment news. Other content services include personalized ring tones, text and video games, wallpapers, screensavers, themes, video clips and interactive forums.
Starting in 2003, Telcel began proving services SMS platform services to third parties, including security alarm services and notices sent by banks to their account holders.
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Starting in June 2006, we were the first Mexican operator to offer to our postpaid customers premium information services through our MMS capabilities, including news and weather reports, horoscopes and soccer score alerts and match results.
Content Community
To further enhance its content offerings with well-known brands, Telcel has built a Content Community through agreements and special alliances with nationally and internationally renowned entertainment companies. These agreements and special alliances allow Telcel to offer premium content services through the Ideas Telcel and the Ideas Music Store portals, and music download services through the Ideas Music Store portal. Although some links are shared between both portals, they are independent.
Data transmission
We offer the following technologies: High Speed Circuit Switch Data (HSCSD), packet switch data through General Packet Radio Services (GPRS), enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE), Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems (UMTS) and High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA).
GPRS is a non-voice value added service that allows information to be sent and received across a mobile telephone network. GPRS radio resources are used only when users are actually sending or receiving data. Rather than dedicating a radio channel to a mobile data user for a fixed period of time, the available radio resource can be concurrently shared between several users. This efficient use of scarce radio resources means that large numbers of GPRS users can share the same bandwidth and be served from a single cell. The number of users supported depends on the application being used and how much data is being transferred. Because of the spectrum efficiency of GPRS, there is less need to build in idle capacity that is only used during peak hours. GPRS therefore lets Telcel maximize the use of its network resources.
EDGE is a standardized set of improvements to the GSM radio interface. EDGE and GPRS traffic can function on any GPRS network, provided the carrier implements certain upgrades, which include certain modifications, installations and upgrades to base stations. The implementation of EDGE effectively triples the rate of gross data transmission offered by GPRS.
Because GPRS and EDGE transmit information through data channels rather than voice channels, they facilitate faster connections than previous technologies, such as CSD and HSCSD. GPRS and EDGE services are able to accommodate corporate applications such as transmission of still and moving images, document sharing and other file transfer services, e-mail, WAP and WEB browsing, alarms, localization and other telemetric services.
HSDPA is a wireless technology for the third generation UMTS network, which is a wireless telephone communications protocol that allows networks based on UMTS to have higher data transfer speed and capacity. Our HSDPA deployment supports down-link speeds of 3.6.Mbs per seconds.
HSDPA not only allows Telcel to provide data transfer services offered by GSM based technologies (HSCSD, GPRS and EDGE), but also permits the provision of services that require a greater transfer rate, such as streaming media, instant document transfer (favoring mobile use of social networks), and increased security applications, particularly for banking and commercial services.
Ideas Telcel
Through the Ideas Telcel portal, Telcel offers its customers mobile entertainment services, including SMS, MMS, e-mail, news and personalized downloads, such as ring tones, screensavers, themes, games, applications,
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chat services, images, and others. The Ideas Telcel portal is constantly being improved taking advantage of the evolution, of the Wireless Application Protocol, or WAP, which is a global standard designed to make Internet services available to mobile telephone users. Basing our Ideas Telcel portal in WAP allows both GSM and UMTS (including those with low-cost handsets) users to use it.
Internet browsing
At present, Telcel offers WAP and WEB browsing for both GSM and UMTS networks. WAP allows a micro browser in a mobile phone to link into a gateway service in Telcels network, the Ideal Telcel portal, enabling users to scroll through different pages of information of third parties on the Internet. Telcels WAP gateway enables its prepaid and postpaid users to access e-mail, banking, and a variety of reservation and other types of electronic commerce services.
Likewise, Telcel offers Internet access through HTTP (WEB protocol), which may be used by smart phones, netbooks, routers, as well as any computer using broad band cards (PC cards or USB cards) or through connection via handsets.
E-mails, access and hosting services are available in both GSM and UMTS networks. Users may access e-mail services using WAP, as well as WEB, allowing them to access and send e-mails not only from their handsets, but from any Internet access equipment that uses a Telcel network. Internet e-mail users may also receive SMS notification whenever they receive an incoming e-mail.
Push E-mail
Push e-mail permits constant synchronization between Telcels network and the corresponding e-mail server, thus allowing users real time e-mail access. Additionally, tasks, calendar and contact information are also synchronized. Push e-mail services are available for BlackBerry OS, Windows Mobile, Symbian, Android, Web OS, and may be used by all smart phones offered by Telcel.
Push-to-Talk Services
In 2004, we began to offer push-to-talk services (two-way half duplex voice service) over our GSM network. Postpaid customers may use push-to-talk over cellular, or POC, to communicate with other Telcel customers that subscribe to this service across Mexico at no cost in addition to the fixed monthly charge. POC is geared mainly towards potential customers in the business environments.
Oficina Móvil Telcel
Oficina Móvil is a services suite designed to provide companies productivity enhancing applications. Among the services offered by Oficina Móvil Telcel, there are push e-mail, logistic applications via bar codes, vehicle locator services, virtual voice private networks and SMS.
M-Banking
Telcel offers services that allow customers to perform certain banking activities from their mobile phones using applications developed specially for SIM cards and profiting from the WAP protocol. These applications allow users not only to access their bank account balances, but also to carry out banking transactions.
Ideas TVIdeas Radio
In May 2006, Telcel launched TV content services which allow certain costumers to access news, cartoon, documentary and sports channels through their handsets. Telcel provides these services through an agreement with a content distributor. Telcels TV content services, are available for EDGE users with compatible handsets, and since 2007 are also available for our UMTS users. In 2007, Telcel launched radio contents.
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Videoconference
Telcel offers simultaneous audio and video communication in real time for UMTS users.
Products
Telcel offers a variety of products as complements to its wireless service, including handsets and accessories such as chargers, headsets, belt clips and batteries. As a result of launch and deployment of our 3G network, Telcel started to offer broadband cards and netbooks. As part of its prepaid service offering, Telcel provides new customers with an Amigo Kit, which includes airtime, a handset, a charger and other accessories at a discounted price. For prepaid customers that own GSM and 3G handsets, Telcel also offers an Amigo Chip, which includes airtime and the chip for the handset. New postpaid customers also receive a terminal (handset, smartphone, netbook, pccard/usb modem) a charger and other accessories complimentary or at a discounted price, if they enter into a long-term contract with Telcel.
Most of the handsets that Telcel currently offers are GSM tri-band, which can switch between the 850, 900 and 1900 megahertz radio spectrums. In addition, Telcel offers four-band handsets, which can also operate in the 900 megahertz radio spectrum and/or the 1800 megahertz radio spectrum. Telcel no longer offers analog and TDMA handsets. Beginning in 2007, Telcel offers 3G handsets, which operate on our 3G network and GSM network, depending on the customers location.
Interconnection
Telcel earns interconnection revenues from calls to any of its subscribers that originate with another service provider. Telcel charges the service provider from whose network the call originates an interconnection charge for the time Telcels network is used in connection with the call. Telcel must pay interconnection fees in respect of calls made by its subscribers to customers of other service providers (mobile and fixed). See RegulationInterconnection under this Item 4.
There has been extensive controversy, and legal and administrative proceedings, concerning the terms of interconnection in Mexico. See RegulationInterconnection under this Item 4.
Roaming
Telcel offers international roaming services to its subscribers through the networks of cellular service providers with which Telcel has entered into international roaming agreements around the world. Telcel also provides GSM and 3G roaming services in Mexico to customers of Telcels international roaming partners. Subscribers are able to roam out of Mexico by paying international roaming fees. Telcel has entered into approximately 435 agreements covering GSM and 3G networks around the world. As of the date of this annual report, Telcel had commercially launched roaming GSM services covering 169 countries and GPRS services covering 131 countries for postpaid subscribers. Telcels customers can roam in 3G networks covering 56 countries. Telcels 3G network also provides inbound roaming to customers of its international roaming partners.
Telcel offers international roaming services (voice, SMS and data) under a variety of rates including special rates to subscribers roaming in the U.S. border, the U.S., Canada and other markets, as well as packages which include minutes, SMS and Internet data services.
GPRS roaming features provide push-to-talk and push e-mail service customers with unlimited usage within certain destinations on daily or monthly bases.
Telcel offers its prepaid customers GSM, GPRS and 3G roaming services in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, U.S., Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Maritime Coverage, including prepaid roaming top-up services and the ability to check their account balance. Telcel also offers packages with special rates for Blackberry and Internet data.
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Telcels (postpaid and prepaid) subscribers are also able to exchange short messages with more than 325 Roaming Partners in 126 countries through Telcels SMS Interworking service.
Roaming payments between Telcel and its international roaming partners are channeled through Cibernet Plc, which functions as a central international clearing house that collects and make the settlement between the participating providers.
Marketing
We develop customer and brand awareness through our marketing and promotion efforts and high-quality customer care. We build upon the strength of our well-recognized brand name to increase consumer awareness and customer loyalty, employing continuous advertising efforts through print, radio, television, sponsorship of sports events and other outdoor advertising campaigns. In addition, Telcel employs concentrated advertising efforts to promote specific products and services such as the Amigo Kit and related products, certain GSM and UMTS postpaid plans and certain value-added services. In October 2003, Telcel launched Círculo Azul, a loyalty rewards program that offers postpaid customers points that can be redeemed for handsets and other goods or services provided by third parties.
In 2009, our marketing efforts were mainly focused on communicating that we have one of the best 3G networks in the world and showing the advantages such network has through value-added services.
Telcel targets groups of customers who share common characteristics or have common needs. Telcel then assembles a packet of services that meets the particular needs of that targeted group through one of its various pricing plans.
Sales and Distribution
Telcel markets its wireless services primarily through exclusive distributors located throughout Mexico. In the year ended December 31, 2009, approximately 78% of Telcels sales of handsets were generated by cellular distributors (including retail chains), with approximately 19% from sales in company-owned stores, and approximately 3% from direct sales to corporate accounts.
As of December 31, 2009, Telcel had relationships with a network of over 1,423 exclusive distributors, who sell Telcels services and products through approximately 41,187 points of sale and receive commissions. Telcel operates permanent training and evaluation programs for distributors to help maintain the level of service quality.
Telcels company-owned retail stores offer one-stop shopping for a variety of cellular services and products. Walk-in customers can subscribe for postpaid plans, purchase prepaid cards and purchase handsets and accessories. Company-owned stores also serve as points of customer service, technical support and payment centers. As of December 31, 2009, Telcel owned and operated 259 customer sales and service centers throughout the nine regions of Mexico and will continue to open new service centers as necessary in order to offer its products directly to subscribers in more effective ways.
Telcel also distributes prepaid cards and handsets, the latter as part of the Amigo Kit consisting of handsets and free airtime ranging from 25 to 250 minutes, through distributors that include Telmex, Sears, Sanborns and its network of retail outlets. Telmex purchases the Telcel prepaid cards and handsets on the same or similar commercial terms offered to other cellular distributors. We estimate that, as of December 31, 2009, prepaid cards are available through approximately 160,000 points of sale in Mexico.
We sell prepaid airtime principally through the sale of cards. We also offer customers the option of buying airtime through other means.
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To service the needs of its large corporate and other high-usage customers, Telcel has a dedicated corporate sales group.
Billing and Collection
We bill our postpaid customers through monthly invoices, which detail itemized charges such as usage, services such as voicemail, call forwarding, call waiting, caller ID and three-way calling, and long-distance, roaming charges, and value added services such as SMS, data and web usage, in addition to applicable taxes. Customers may pay their bills through pre-authorized debit or credit charges, in person at banks (including through banks Internet websites), at Telcel retail stores and other designated retail stores, and through Telcels Internet website.
If a postpaid customers payment is overdue, service may be suspended until full payment for all outstanding charges is received. If the subscribers payment is more than 60 days past due, service may be discontinued. Accounts that are more than 90 days past due are considered doubtful accounts.
A prepaid customer who purchases airtime credit has between 7 to 60 days, depending on the amount purchased, to use the airtime. It is possible to purchase airtime credit in any of the following amounts: Ps.30, Ps.50, Ps.150, Ps.200, Ps.300 and Ps.500. Users may also use the pasatiempo service, which allows one prepaid user to transfer up to Ps.100 of airtime credit to another prepaid user by sending a SMS. After 30 or 60 days, the customer can no longer use that airtime for outgoing calls unless the customer purchases additional airtime credit. After 180 days, unless the customer has purchased additional airtime credit, the service is discontinued and the balance, if any, is recognized as revenue.
Customer Service
Telcel places a high priority on providing its customers with quality customer care and support. Approximately 68% of Telcels employees are dedicated to customer service. Customers may call a toll-free telephone number or go to one of the customer sales and service centers located throughout the nine regions for inquiries regarding their service or plan options. In addition, using Telcels website, subscribers may learn about the various offered rate plans, products and promotions, as well as subscribe for additional services and pay bills on line.
Wireless Network
Telcels wireless networks use digital technologies both in the 850 megahertz frequency spectrum and in the 1900 megahertz frequency spectrum. In October 2002, Telcel launched a new network using global system for mobile communications (GSM) digital technology in the 1900 megahertz frequency spectrum. GSM is a digital standard used in Europe, North America and elsewhere and it is the most widely used digital wireless technology in the world. In 2006, Telcel started deploying the GSM, GPRS and EDGE technologies in the 850 megahertz frequency spectrum. In February 2008, Telcel launched a UMTS third generation network in Mexico in the 850 megahertz frequency spectrum. Telcel maintains a TDMA network in the 850 megahertz frequency spectrum. TDMA is a digital technology developed previously than GSM network that divides radio spectrum into assigned time slots to transmit signals.
GSM network
Telcel has built and installed a GSM network in the 1900 megahertz frequency spectrum in all nine regions in Mexico, which began commercial operation in October 2002. Telcel continues with the expansion of its GSM network, using the 850 megahertz spectrum since 2006. The GSM network allows Telcel to augment its digital capacity and progress in its evolution toward the third generation of wireless technology. GSM technology supports a wide range of voice and data services, including SMS, MMS, HSCSD, GPRS and EDGE, and is
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currently the most widely used and tested wireless system in the world. GSM technology, which is used in all nine regions, is expected to yield global economies of scale in developing network equipment and handsets, as well as seamless global roaming capabilities.
Currently, Telcels GSM network offers service in all nine regions in Mexico. As of December 31, 2009, Telcels GSM subscriber base accounted for approximately 92% of Telcels total subscribers.
Telcel upgraded the GSM/GPRS network with EDGE technology. It has implemented EDGE technology in more than 186,984 localities, including all the major cities in Mexico. EDGE can be deployed in existing spectrum with minimum changes in hardware. As customers upgrade their equipment to EDGE, Telcel expects that all the applications developed and deployed today will be able to operate at significantly higher speeds and in more places.
Third generation technologies
Third generation (3G) technologies provide high-speed wireless packet data access and all Internet-related services that can be offered through broadband with the advantage of mobility. Any successful third generation strategy must allow the wireless provider to achieve a pervasive footprint quickly and cost effectively and on a global scale through international roaming capacities.
Telcel is deploying a UMTS third generation network in Mexico using the existing 850 megahertz spectrum and began offering 3G services in February 2008. 3G technologies enable network operators to offer users a wider range of more advanced services while achieving greater network capacity through improved spectral efficiency. Services include wide-area wireless phone telephony, video calls and broadband data, all in a mobile environment. Telcel is deploying its UMTS network using the high-speed downlink packet access protocol (HSDPA), which is a mobile telephony communications protocol that allows networks based on UMTS to have higher data transfer speeds and capacity. Telcels HSDPA deployment supports down-link speeds of 3.6 megabits per second. Our 3G networks use the same technology that is generally used throughout Europe to provide 3G services. We elected to deploy the UMTS/HSDPA networks principally because:
| New market opportunities. It allows us to enter new markets and provide new services, such as the wireless broadband market, which we believe has significant growth potential throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. |
| Handset compatibility. UMTS handsets are compatible with our GSM networks, so a customer can use one handset to connect to our UMTS and GSM networks. This allows us to focus the deployment of our new networks in areas of high demand for 3G services, principally large urban areas. |
| Spectral compatibility. With our new networks, we can generally offer 3G services using our existing licenses in the 850 megahertz spectrum, which is being increasingly underutilized by our remaining TDMA customers. In addition to being efficient from a cost perspective, deployment in the 850 megahertz spectrum is more efficient and provides better coverage than deployment in the 1900 megahertz spectrum. |
| Increased voice capacity. Our new networks give us approximately 5.7 times more capacity to provide voice services than our existing GSM network using our current spectrum (considering a 5 megahertz fully-used spectrum). |
| Cost effective deployment. Unlike some of the 3G networks being deployed in the United States, UMTS networks use some of the same basic network plant and equipment as GSM networks. This has permitted us to achieve a quicker and more cost effective deployment of 3G services, than would have been possible using other technologies. |
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Telcel is the first operator to deploy UMTS/HSDPA technologies in Mexico. As of December 31, 2009, Telcels UMTS/HSDPA network covered 101,209 localities, including all of Mexicos principal cities. Telcel plans to continue expanding its 3G coverage in Mexico throughout 2010. As of December 31, 2009, Telcels UMTS/HSDPA subscriber base accounted for approximately 4% of Telcels total subscribers.
Telcel currently relies on Ericsson for the supply of more than 41% (measured in terms of cost) of its switch and cell site equipment. Telcel purchases handsets and other customer equipment primarily from the major vendors in the industry, including Nokia Research in Motion (RIM), Sony-Ericsson, Apple, Motorola, LG, and Samsung.
TDMA network
Telcel has a nationwide TDMA network. TDMA permits the use of advanced dual-band handsets that allow for roaming across analog and digital systems and across 850 megahertz and 1900 megahertz spectrums. TDMA digital technology also allows for enhanced services and features, such as SMS, extended battery life, added call security and improved voice quality. This network is currently used by subscribers who have not yet migrated to newer networks.
Spectrum
Telcel currently holds concessions in each of the nine regions of Mexico in both the 850 megahertz and 1900 megahertz radio spectrums and has a functioning nationwide network. Two other companies also hold concessions for nationwide service using the 850 or 1900 megahertz spectrum.
Telcel currently holds 28.4 megahertz of capacity in the 1900 megahertz spectrum in each of Mexicos nine regions. It acquired 10 megahertz (Band D) of this capacity in 1998 and 10 megahertz (Band F) in 2005, in each case through public auctions. Telcel acquired 8.4 megahertz (Band A) as a result of the assignment of capacity from Unefon, S.A. de C.V. during 2005. This assignment was approved by Cofeco and the SCT and no considerationin addition to the U.S.$267.7 million (Ps. 3,309 million) paid to Unefon in 2003 for the service agreementwas paid for the assignment.
Fixed wireless
Fixed wireless technology provides wireline quality voice telephony available over cellular networks. Voice channels are delivered over the existing telephone wiring within the residence or small business premises, allowing customers to utilize their existing telephones.
Telcel provides public fixed wireless services in rural, semi-urban and urban regions in Mexico.
Property
Telcels wireless network includes transport and computer equipment, as well as exchange and transmission equipment consisting primarily of switches (which set up and route telephone calls either to the number called or to the next switch along the path, and which may also record information for billing and control purposes), cellular base stations (radio transmitters or receivers that maintain communications with the cellular telephones within given geographical areas or cells), microcells (small cells covered by low-power base stations), and local links and repeaters (equipment for radio or fiberoptic transmission between network elements). Telcel owns all of its network routing and switching equipment. Telcel owns certain properties for commercial and administrative offices, the installation of some of its equipment, and 190 customer sales and service centers, while it leases other locations. Telcel operates certain equipment on Telmex property under a co-location agreement. See Related Party Transactions under Item 7.
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Telcel currently relies on Ericsson for the supply of approximately 41% (measured in terms of cost) of its switch and cell site equipment. Telcel purchases handsets and other customer equipment primarily from the major vendors in the industry, including Nokia, Research in Motion (RIM), Sony-Ericsson, Apple, Motorola, LG and Samsung.
Competition
Telcel faces competition from other mobile providers using the 850 megahertz spectrum and from providers with PCS licenses that have developed and continue to develop wireless service on the 1900 megahertz spectrum. Telcels principal competitors in Mexico are Grupo Iusacell, S.A. de C.V. and Telefónica Móviles. We also compete with Nextel in certain segments. According to Cofetel, Telcels share of the Mexican cellular market was approximately 74% as of December 31, 2009.
The effects of competition on Telcel depend, in part, on the business strategies of its competitors and the general economic and business climate in Mexico, including demand growth, interest rates, inflation and exchange rates. The effects could include loss of market share and pressure to reduce rates. Telcel believes that its strategies to meet competition will continue to help limit its loss of market share and that any loss of market share will be partly offset by increasing demand.
Regulation
The following is a summary of certain provisions of the General Communications Law, the Telecommunications Law, Federal Customer Protection Law and the telecommunications regulations applicable to Telcel and of the various concessions held by Telcel.
General
The General Communications Law, the Telecommunications Law and the telecommunications regulations provide the general legal framework for the regulation of telecommunications services in Mexico. The Telecommunications Law replaced certain provisions of the General Communications Law and established that only those provisions of the General Communications Law not opposed to the Telecommunications Law would remain in effect. Other regulations implementing particular provisions of the Telecommunications Law have been adopted or are pending. The main objectives of the Telecommunications Law are to promote the efficient development of the telecommunications industry, to encourage fair competition in the provision of quality, low-priced services and to assure satisfactory breadth of coverage of the Mexican population.
Under the Telecommunications Law, an operator of public telecommunications networks, such as Telcel, must operate under a concession granted by the SCT. Such a concession may only be granted to a Mexican citizen or corporation and may not be transferred or assigned without the approval of the SCT. A concession to provide services which utilize electro-magnetic frequencies, such as cellular telecommunications services, may have a term of up to twenty years and may be extended for additional terms of equal duration.
The Telecommunications Law requires public telecommunications concessionaires to establish open network architecture which permits interconnection and interoperability. Operators of private networks that do not use electro-magnetic frequencies or provide services to the public are not required to obtain a concession, permit or registration.
Regulatory oversight
The SCT, through Cofetel, is the government agency principally responsible for regulating telecommunications services. The SCTs approval is required for any change in Telcels bylaws. It also has broad powers to monitor Telcels compliance with the concessions, and it can require Telcel to supply it with such technical, administrative and financial information as it may request. Telcel is required to publish its annual network expansion program and must advise the SCT of the progress of its expansion and modernization program on a quarterly basis.
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Cofetel is an independent agency within the SCT, with five commissioners appointed by the President of Mexico, one of whom is appointed as chairman. Cofetels mandate is to regulate the Mexican telecommunications sector. Many of the powers and obligations of SCT under the Telecommunications Law and the telecommunications regulations have been delegated to Cofetel.
The Telecommunications Law gives certain rights to the Mexican government in its relations with concessionaires, including the right to take over the management of an operators networks, facilities and personnel in cases of imminent danger to national security, internal peace or the national economy, natural disasters and public unrest. The Telecommunications Law also provides that at the expiration of Telcels concessions, the Mexican government has a right of first refusal to acquire Telcels assets used directly in the exploitation of frequency bands. See Termination of the Concessions under this Item 4.
In addition, we are subject to regulation from Profeco under the Federal Consumer Protection Law. This law regulates publicity, the quality of services and information required to be provided to consumers and provides a mechanism to address consumer complaints. Profeco has the authority to impose fines, which can be significant.
Antitrust Investigations
The Telecommunications Law authorizes SCT to impose specific requirements as to rates, quality of service and information on any wireless operator that is determined by Cofeco to have substantial power in a specific market according to the Federal Antitrust Law. Pursuant to the Telecommunications Law, SCT has the power to adopt specific regulations on rates, quality of service, disclosure of information or other special regulations.
Cofeco is conducting investigations into market power and monopolistic practices in the telecommunications sector. Depending on the resolution of these investigations, they may result in new regulations applicable to Telcel. See Legal ProceedingsMexicoCofeco under Item 8.
Number Portability
Cofetel rules for the portability of fixed-line and mobile telephone numbers took effect in June 2008. One of the objectives of these rules is to increase competition among operators. The portability rules allow customers to change providers without contacting their current provider, so we may lose customers without having the opportunity to influence their decision. The rules also require that we bear the costs of changes in our network and any other investments necessary to implement portability, without being able to charge other operators. To date, the portability rules have not materially affected our subscriber base.
Rates
The Telecommunications Law provides that concessionaires may freely determine the rates for telecommunications services, including interconnection. Mobile rates are not subject to a price cap or any other form of price regulation. However, Telcel and other mobile carriers operating in Mexico are required to register with Cofetel their rates for mobile service prior to implementing such rates. Cofetel is authorized to impose specific rate requirements on any operator that is determined to have substantial market power under the Federal Antitrust Law. Although COFECO has determined that Telcel has substantial market power in the nationwide market for voice services, we cannot predict what regulatory measures might be taken in response to COFECOs determination.
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ConcessionsGeneral
Telcel operates under several different concessions covering particular frequencies and regions. The following table summarizes Telcels concessions.
Regions in |
Band A (1900 MHz) |
Band B (850 MHz) | ||||||||||||
Cel |
PCS | Concession Date |
Termination Date |
Fee Structure |
Concession Date |
Termination |
Fee Structure | |||||||
I | I | Sept. 1999 | Sept. 2019 | Upfront fee | Aug. 1991 | Aug. 2011 | Semi-annual fees(1) | |||||||
II | II | Sept. 1999 | Sept. 2019 | Upfront fee | Aug. 1991 | Aug. 2011 | Semi-annual fees(1) | |||||||
III | III | Sept. 1999 | Sept. 2019 | Upfront fee | Aug. 1991 | Aug. 2011 | Semi-annual fees(1) | |||||||
IV | IV | Sept. 1999 | Sept. 2019 | Upfront fee | Aug. 1990 | Aug. 2010 | Semi-annual fees(1) | |||||||
VIII | V | Sept. 1999 | Sept. 2019 | Upfront fee | Aug. 1990 | Aug. 2010 | Semi-annual fees(1) | |||||||
V | VI | Sept. 1999 | Sept. 2019 | Upfront fee | Oct. 1991 | Oct. 2011 | Semi-annual fees(1) | |||||||
VI | VII | Sept. 1999 | Sept. 2019 | Upfront fee | Oct. 1991 | Oct. 2011 | Semi-annual fees(1) | |||||||
VII | VIII | Sept. 1999 | Sept. 2019 | Upfront fee | Oct. 1991 | Oct. 2011 | Semi-annual fees(1) | |||||||
IX | IX | Sept. 1999 | Sept. 2019 | Upfront fee | Oct. 2000 | Oct. 2015 | Upfront fee |
(1) | The semi-annual fees, or aprovechamientos, are determined as a percentage of gross revenues corresponding to the concession. Amounts payable vary depending on the relevant region. |
Regions in |
Band D (1900MHz) |
Band F (1900 MHz) | ||||||||||||
Cel |
PCS | Concession Date |
Termination |
Fee Structure |
Concession |
Termination |
Fee Structure | |||||||
I | I | Oct. 1998 | Oct. 2018 | Upfront fee | April 2005 | April 2025 | Annual fees(2) | |||||||
II | II | Oct. 1998 | Oct. 2018 | Upfront fee | April 2005 | April 2025 | Annual fees(2) | |||||||
III | III | Oct. 1998 | Oct. 2018 | Upfront fee | April 2005 | April 2025 | Annual fees(2) | |||||||
IV | IV | Oct. 1998 | Oct. 2018 | Upfront fee | April 2005 | April 2025 | Annual fees(2) | |||||||
VIII | V | Oct. 1998 | Oct. 2018 | Upfront fee | April 2005 | April 2025 | Annual fees(2) | |||||||
V | VI | Oct. 1998 | Oct. 2018 | Upfront fee | April 2005 | April 2025 | Annual fees(2) | |||||||
VI | VII | Oct. 1998 | Oct. 2018 | Upfront fee | April 2005 | April 2025 | Annual fees(2) | |||||||
VII | VIII | Oct. 1998 | Oct. 2018 | Upfront fee | April 2005 | April 2025 | Annual fees(2) | |||||||
IX | IX | Oct. 1998 | Oct. 2018 | Upfront fee | April 2005 | April 2025 | Annual fees(2) |
(2) | The annual fees, or derechos, are for the use and exploitation of radio spectrum bands. Amounts payable are set forth by the Ley Federal de Derechos and vary depending on the relevant region and radio spectrum band. |
In addition to the cellular and PCS concessions detailed in the tables above, in December 2002, the SCT granted Telcel a concession to install and operate a telecommunications network to provide national and international long distance services, as well as data transmission services. The concession was granted for an
initial term of 15 years, and it is subject to extension for an additional 15-year period. The concession limited Telcel to provide these services only to its wireless subscribers until December 2005. In 2006, Telcel completed the build out of its long distance network which allows Telcel to carry all the national long distance traffic originated from Telcels customers to other customers. Also, since May 2007, Telcel opened its interconnection with the local network of Telmex in Mexico City and with the long distance network of AT&T.
ConcessionsFees
There are two different types of fees that we may be required to pay in connection with our concessions.
Aprovechamientos. Some concessions require Telcel to pay semi-annual fees (aprovechamientos) equal to a percentage of gross revenues derived from the concessioned services. The percentage ranges between 5% and 10%. These fees apply to the 850 megahertz (Band B) concessions, except for Region 9 which covers Mexico
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City and the states of Mexico, Morelos and Hidalgo. For the Region 9 Band B concession, these fees were eliminated pursuant to a court decision, against an increase of Ps. 2,149.5 million in the aggregate consideration payable for the concession (from Ps. 116.4 million to Ps. 2,265.9 million). Telcel paid Ps. 150.9 million in cash and credited Ps. 1,998.5 million of fees it had previously paid. Fees of this type do not apply to the 1900 megahertz (Band D) concessions, which Telcel purchased for a fixed amount in 1998, and the 1900 megahertz (Band A) concessions, which Telcel acquired from Unefon.
Derechos. Owners of concessions granted or renewed on or after January 1, 2003 are required to pay annual fees (derechos) for the use and exploitation of radio spectrum bands. The amounts payable are set forth by the Ley Federal de Derechos and vary depending on the relevant region and radio spectrum band. These annual fees apply to all spectrum bands, including those that are already subject to the payment of fees (aprovechamientos) based on gross revenues. Currently, we are not required to pay these fees in respect of our Bands A, B and D concessions since they were awarded prior to 2003, but we are required to pay them in respect of additional 10 megahertz of capacity in the 1900 megahertz spectrum (Band F) acquired in 2005.
Telcel challenged the validity of these annual fees, on the grounds that they violate the Mexican Constitution and certain provisions of the Telecommunications Law. In January 2009, one chamber (sala) of the Mexican Supreme Court denied our request for an injunction, but that decision was subject to rehearing because another chamber (sala) issued a contrary ruling in a case brought by another operator challenging the same law. In April 2009, the Mexican Supreme Court definitively denied Telcels request for an injunction. Telcel has paid the annual fees notwithstanding its legal challenges.
ConcessionsExpansion, modernization and service quality requirements
Telcels concessions impose a number of requirements for expansion and modernization of its network. The concessions establish certain minimum network capacities that Telcel must achieve, to extend service coverage to a targeted percentage of population. Telcel is in compliance with these requirements.
The concessions also set forth extensive requirements for the quality and continuity of Telcels service, including, in some cases, maximum rates of incomplete and dropped calls and connection time. In May 2003, Cofetel issued the Fundamental Technical Plan for Quality of Local Mobile Services Networks, applicable to all operators, including Telcel, which imposes additional service quality requirements. We are in compliance with the service quality requirements of our concessions and the Technical Plan.
ConcessionsCompetition
The telecommunications regulations and the concessions contain various provisions designed to introduce competition in the provision of communications services. In general, the SCT is authorized to grant concessions to other parties for the provision of any of the services provided by Telcel under the concessions.
ConcessionsRenewal
The eight Band B concessions covering regions other than the Mexico City area were granted for initial terms of twenty years that will expire in 2010 or 2011. Our ability to renew the eight Band B concessions in the coming years will be subject to a number of factors beyond our control. Among other possible factors, renewal of the eight concessions will be conditioned on our compliance with the terms and conditions of the relevant concessions during their terms, payment of a renewal fee and our acceptance of terms and conditions which may differ from those applicable under the existing concessions.
During the first quarter of 2010, the SCT recognized Telcels right to renew, for additional 15-year terms, its 8 Band B concessions, covering all regions other than the Mexico City area and requested Telcel accept terms and conditions with the concessions and pay an upfront fee. Telcel has accepted the terms and conditions determined by SCT and paid the upfront fee.
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The Band B concession covering the Mexico City area (Region 9) was renewed effective October 2000 for a term of fifteen years that will expire in October 2015. On April 20, 2010 Telcel requested renewal of the Band B concession covering the Mexico City area (Region 9). The Band D concessions will expire in 2018, the Band A concessions in 2019 and the Band F concessions in 2025. All of these concessions are subject to renewal for additional 20-year terms.
ConcessionsTermination
The General Communications Law, the Telecommunications Law and the concessions include various provisions under which the concessions may be terminated before their scheduled expiration dates. Under the Telecommunications Law, the SCT may cause early termination of any of the concessions in certain cases, including:
| failure to exercise rights under a concession during the 180 days after that concession is granted; |
| failure to expand telephone services at the rate specified in the concession; |
| interruption of all or a material part of the services provided by Telcel; |
| acts by Telcel with the effect of impeding the operations of other concessionaires; |
| refusing interconnection arrangements with other concessionaires; |
| change of jurisdiction by Telcel; |
| transfer, assignment of, or grant of liens to, Telcels concessions or any asset used to provide service without SCTs approval; |
| failure to pay certain government fees; |
| violation of the prohibition against ownership of shares of Telcel by foreign states; |
| any material modification of the nature of Telcels services without prior SCTs approval; and |
| breach of certain other obligations under the General Communications Law. |
In addition, the concessions provide for early termination by the SCT following administrative proceedings in the event of:
| a material and continuing violation of any of the conditions set forth in the concessions; |
| material failure to meet any of the service expansion requirements under the concessions; |
| material failure to meet any of the requirements under the concession for improvement in the quality of service; |
| engagement in any telecommunications business not authorized under the concession and requiring prior approval of the SCT; |
| following notice and a cure period, failure without just cause to allow other concessionaires to interconnect their networks to Telcels network; or |
| bankruptcy of Telcel. |
The General Communications Law and all but one of Telcels 850 megahertz concessions provide that in the event of early termination of Telcels mobile concessions, all assets that are the subject of such concession would revert to the Mexican government without compensation to Telcel. In the event of early termination of any of Telcels PCS concessions, the Mexican government would have the option to purchase the equipment, installations and other assets used directly for the exploitation of the frequencies which are the subject of such concession. The latter regime also applies to one of Telcels 850 megahertz concessions.
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Calling Party Pays
In Mexico, calls to and from our mobile subscribers are subject to the calling party pays system, under which subscribers only pay for outgoing calls. Subscribers have the option of retaining the mobile party pays system. The calling party pays system has applied to local calls since 1999 and to long-distance calls since November 2006. Mobile operators do not charge airtime fees to customers receiving calls, except for roaming fees applicable when subscribers receive calls outside their local areas. Two long-distance carriers, Axtel and Avantel, have challenged the validity of the long distance calling party pays system through judicial proceedings and are operating under a court order obtained in those proceedings that temporarily suspends the application to them of the calling party pays system.
Interconnection fees
Under the calling party pays system, when the customer of one operator (local or long-distance) places a call to a customer of another operator, the first operator pays the second a fee, which is referred to as an interconnection fee.
Under Mexican law, interconnection fees are negotiated between operators. For some periods, we have been unable to reach agreement on fees with some operators, and operators that are unable to agree have sought the intervention of Cofetel to establish interconnection fees. Our interconnection agreements with each operator require us to offer that operator the best rates we offer to other similar operators, and as a result if a single operator obtains a more favorable rate through a final, non-appealable resolution or decision from Cofetel, SCT or the courts, we may be required to offer that rate to other operators even though we have previously agreed with them on rates.
There has been extensive controversy in Mexico concerning the interconnection fees payable by fixed-line operators to mobile operators on fixed-to-mobile calls for periods beginning with 2005. The principal stages in the controversy, as it relates to interconnection with Telcel, are summarized below.
| December 2004 Agreement. In December 2004, most Mexican telecommunications operators agreed on interconnection fees for the years 2005 through 2007. The agreement provided for annual reductions of 10% and also provided that the reductions would be reflected in the tariffs charged by fixed operators to their customers. The following are the interconnection fees agreed upon in December 2004: |
| January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2005: Ps. 1.71 per minute or fraction; |
| January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2006: Ps. 1.54 per minute or fraction; and |
| January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007: Ps. 1.34 per minute or fraction. |
| August 2006 Cofetel Resolutions. Axtel, independently, and Avantel and Alestra, jointly, began proceedings with Cofetel (desacuerdos de interconexión) to establish the applicable interconnection fees for termination of public commuted traffic under the calling party pays system in local mobile service networks, between them and Telcel. |
As a result of the proceedings (desacuerdos de interconexión), on August 31, 2006, Cofetel issued two resolutions (the Axtel Resolution and the Avantel/Alestra Resolution) establishing the local interconnection fees payable by the two carriers to Telcel for the years 2005 through 2010, as follows: from (i) January 1 to December 31, 2005: Ps. 1.71 per interconnection minute; (ii) January 1 to September 30, 2006: Ps. 1.54 per interconnection minute; (iii) October 1, 2006 to December 31, 2007: Ps. 1.23 per interconnection minute; (iv) January 1 to December 31, 2008: Ps. 1.12 per interconnection minute; (v) January 1 to December 31, 2009: Ps. 1.00 per interconnection minute; (vi) January 1 to December 31, 2010: Ps. 0.90. Several of these fees were lower than the fees Telcel had agreed with other operators.
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In addition, Cofetel ruled that starting in 2007, interconnection fees would be determined by adding the total seconds of all completed calls rounded to the next minute, rather than by rounding each call to the next minute, before calculating the sum of total network occupation. In order to mitigate the effects of this change on Telcel, Cofetel authorized Telcel to collect a surcharge of 25% in 2007, 18% in 2008 and 10% in 2009 over the interconnection fees billed to Axtel, Avantel y Alestra. Telcel challenged the Axtel Resolution and the Avantel/Alestra Resolution.
| August 31, 2006 Avantel/Alestra Resolution. Telcel challenged Cofetels August 2006 Avantel and Alestra Resolution on interconnection rates between the two carriers and Telcel. In November 2009, the court decided that Cofetel was not empowered to add elements to the controversy set forth in the proceedings (desacuerdos de interconexión) and could not issue resolutions on matters which were not originally requested (for example, interconnection fees for the years 2008 to 2010). Consequently, the August 2006 Avantel and Alestra Resolution was declared without effect, and Cofetel was ordered to issue a new resolution establishing interconnection fees for the years 2005 to 2007. However, the courts ruling was silent in respect of the analysis and the assessment of several of the acts challenged by Telcel. Accordingly, in December 2009 Telcel challenged the ruling before the competent courts. Cofetel also challenged the ruling. Avantel joined the two challenges through a recurso de revisión adhesiva. |
| August 31, 2006 Axtel Resolution, December 2007 Judicial Decision and January 2008 Cofetel Resolution. In September 2006, Telcel began a judicial proceeding (juicio de amparo) challenging the Axtel Resolution on interconnection rates between Axtel and Telcel. In December 2007, the district court invalidated the Axtel Resolution in its entirety and directed Cofetel to issue a new resolution covering solely the periods from 2005 through 2007. In January 2008, as directed by the court, Cofetel issued a resolution establishing interconnection rates between Telcel and Axtel for the periods from 2005 through 2007 on the same terms as Cofetels August 2006 resolution. Telcel challenged this resolution as to the rates applicable for that period. In October 2009, the court ruled against Telcel finding that, among other things, the model used by Cofetel to calculate interconnection fees had been appropriate. In its ruling, the court determined that the interconnection fees resulting from Cofetels model should be: (i) Ps. 0.71 for 2005; (ii) Ps. 0.74 for 2006; and (iii) Ps. 0.78 for 2007. Telcel challenged (recurso de revisión) the ruling arguing that, even if Cofetels model was appropriate, the results obtained by the judge were erroneous because Cofetel did not use real and updated information while implementing their methodology. Cofetel also challenged the ruling. Axtel joined the two challenges through a recurso de revisión adhesiva. |
| December 2006 Agreements. In the fourth quarter of 2006, most industry operators other than Axtel and Avantel, agreed on interconnection fees payable for termination services for local and long-distance (national and international) calls in mobile networks under the calling party pays system for the years 2005 through 2010. These agreements contemplated the following continued reductions in fees: (i) 2005: Ps. 1.71 per interconnection minute; (ii) 2006: Ps. 1.54 per interconnection minute; (iii) 2007: Ps. 1.34 per interconnection minute; (iv) 2008: Ps. 1.21 per interconnection minute; (v) 2009: Ps. 1.09 per interconnection minutes; and (vi) 2010: $1.00 per interconnection minute. |
| 2008 Proceedings Involving Axtel. In December 2007 and March 2008, Axtel initiated proceedings with Cofetel to establish interconnection rates for the years from 2008 through 2011. In May 2008, before Cofetel issued a resolution, Axtel obtained a court order to prevent Cofetel from issuing a resolution on interconnection between Axtel and Telcel. Axtel then filed an administrative review proceeding (recurso de revision) with the Mexican Ministry of Communications and Transportation (Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes or SCT). Axtel contended that, by failing to issue a resolution on interconnection between Axtel and Telcel for interconnection fees for 2008 through 2011, Cofetel had refused to act (negativa ficta). Through the administrative review proceeding (recurso de revision), Axtel requested that the SCT review that refusal. |
In July 2008, Telcel obtained a court order which prevented the SCT from ruling on Axtels challenge to Cofetels supposed refusal to act on interconnection fees between Axtel and Telcel.
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However, in September 2008, SCT issued a resolution establishing the following interconnection fees for 2008 through 2011: (i) 2008: Ps. 0.5465 per interconnection minute; (ii) 2009: Ps. 0.5060 per interconnection minute; (iii) 2010: Ps. 0.4705 per interconnection minute; and (iv) 2011: Ps. 0.4179 per interconnection minute. These fees are substantially less than the fees agreed upon with the rest of the industry operators. Telcel challenged the resolution and, in October 2008, obtained a court order suspending the effects of it until a final ruling is issued.
| April 2009 Cofetel ResolutionAvantel Interconnection Disagreement. In April 2009, Cofetel issued a resolution establishing the following interconnection fees for 2008 through 2010 applicable between Avantel (a subsidiary of Axtel) and Telcel for termination of public commuted traffic under the calling party pays system in Telcels mobile network: (i) 2008: Ps. 1.12 per interconnection minute plus a surcharge of 18% over the total interconnection minutes billed; (ii) 2009: Ps. 1.00 per interconnection minute plus a surcharge of 10% over the total minutes billed; and (iii) 2010: Ps. 0.90 per interconnection minute without any surcharge, based on the assumption that the valuation method consist of adding the actual duration of the calls measured in seconds and then rounding up to the next minute. In May 2009, Telcel challenged the resolution and a final judicial decision is still pending. |
We expect that interconnection fees for fixed-to-mobile calls will continue to be the subject of litigation and administrative proceedings. We cannot predict when or how these matters will be resolved. The competitive and financial effects of any resolution could be complex and difficult to predict. Although the matters in dispute primarily concern one operator, Axtel (and its subsidiary Avantel), if those matters are resolved adversely to us through a final, non-appealable resolution or decision from Cofetel, SCT or the courts, the impact could be material because Telcel would be required to offer to the other operators any more favorable fees it is required to provide to Axtel and/or Avantel, as of the date of such final, non-appealable resolution or decision. This could materially reduce Telcels interconnection revenues in future periods. Also, depending on how the disputes are resolved, there could be contractual claims among Axtel and/or Avantel, and Telcel for reimbursement or payment, as the case may be, of amounts paid or owed between Telcel and Axtel and/or Avantel in respect of time periods from 2005 to 2010.
February 2009 Interconnection Plan
In February 2009, Cofetel published a Fundamental Technical Plan of Interconnection and Inter-operability (Plan Técnico Fundamental de Interconexión e Interoperabilidad, or the Plan). The Plan addresses the technical, economic and legal conditions of interconnection. With respect to interconnection fees, the Plan establishes a process for developing an economic model over a relatively brief period and then applying the economic model to determine fees, which could override the existing fee agreements among operators. The Plan also contemplates asymmetrical and discriminatory treatment for operators with the largest number of access points, including specific technical and legal requirements and different economic, technical and legal conditions from other operators.
We cannot predict the competitive and financial effects that might result from implementation of the Plan. They could be substantially different from the potential effects of the regulatory steps described above with respect to fixed-to-mobile interconnection. It is also difficult to anticipate the timetable for implementation of the Plan.
In March 2009, Telcel has challenged the Plan in the Mexican courts. In April 2009, Telcel obtained a court order suspending the effects of the Plan as they relate to Telcel pending resolution of its judicial challenge. As of the date of this annual report, the challenge remains pending.
Consolidation of Local Service Areas
In March 2007, Cofetel issued a resolution to eliminate 70 local service areas and in September 2008, it issued a resolution to eliminate an additional 125 local service areas, reducing the total number of local service
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areas from 397 to 202 in a process that began in November 2008 and will be completed in 2010. If implemented as issued, the resolution would have the effect of requiring mobile operators to reassign the local area code numbers for a significant number of their subscribers. We are currently in discussions with Cofetel for a technical solution to the reassignment of local area codes as a result of the consolidation. As of the date of this annual report, we have not reached an agreement with Cofetel regarding this matter. We do not expect the consolidation of local service areas to have a significant negative impact on our results of operations.
Mobile Telephone National User Registry
In February 2009, the Federal Telecommunications Law was amended in order to create the Mobile Telephone National User Registry (Registro Nacional de Usuarios de Telefónia Móvil or RENAUT). In accordance with said amendment, operators must maintain a registry including the identity of all their subscribers and a ledger of all communications made by each users line as well as provide to the relevant authorities information obtained. Among other provisions, the amendment establishes that users who purchased a mobile line after April 10, 2009 (date when the amendment became effective), could not use it until they register their line with the RENAUT. Likewise, the amendment establishes that existing users as of the date in which the amendment became effective had a one-year term to register the mobile telephone line. Consequently, lines that were not registered as of April 10, 2010, were to be suspended without a reactivation right by operators. Pursuant to applicable regulations issued by Cofetel, Telcel has complied with the line and communication registry as well as the information provision processes.
Notwithstanding the foregoing and solely for purposes of protecting its subscribers from the suspension ordered by the amendment, Telcel began a judicial proceeding (juicio de amparo) against certain provisions of the Federal Telecommunications Law. The enforceability of the relevant provisions of the amendment has been stayed by a court order. We expect final resolution of the juicio de amparo during 2010.
Telcel continues to fulfill all actions required in connection with the registry of its subscribers (both new and preexisting) and of their communications as well as the information provision process in compliance with the rules issued by Cofetel to comply with the Federal Telecommunications Law.
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We have subsidiaries or businesses in the telecommunications sector in Brazil, the Southern Cone region (Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile), Colombia and Panama, the Andean region (Ecuador and Peru), Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua), the United States and the Caribbean (the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Puerto Rico). Our principal subsidiaries outside Mexico are described below. The revenues of our subsidiaries other than Telcel represented 63.9% of our consolidated revenues for 2009, as compared to 60.9% of our consolidated revenues for 2008.
In addition, we expect to have opportunities to invest in other telecommunications companies outside Mexico, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean, because we believe that the telecommunications sector will continue to be characterized by growth, technological change and consolidation. We may take advantage of these opportunities through direct investments or other strategic alliances.
The following table sets forth financial and operating information for certain of our non-Mexican operations for the periods indicated. Lines in service are presented as of year-end. For some segments or periods, information may not be comparable to prior periods because it includes the results of operations of acquired companies as from the date of consolidation in our financial statements. See Note 20 to our audited consolidated financial statements.
Year ended December 31, | |||||||||
2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |||||||
(in Mexican pesos except lines in service, minutes of use and churn) |
|||||||||
BRAZIL |
|||||||||
Consolidated operating revenues (millions) |
Ps.58,305 | Ps.70,484 | Ps.82,300 | ||||||
Average monthly revenues per subscriber(1) |
160 | 155 | 155 | ||||||
Operating income (millions) |
608 | 1,584 | 1,368 | ||||||
Cellular lines in service (thousands) at year end |
30,228 | 38,731 | 44,401 | ||||||
Average monthly minutes of use per subscriber |
77 | 93 | 84 | ||||||
Churn rate(2) |
2.5 | % | 2.7 | % | 2.8 | % | |||
SOUTHERN CONE(3) |
|||||||||
Operating revenues (millions) |
Ps.27,237 | Ps.30,541 | Ps.37,135 | ||||||
Average monthly revenues per subscriber(1) |
126 | 120 | 130 | ||||||
Operating income (millions) |
2,691 | 5,702 | 7,578 | ||||||
Cellular lines in service (thousands) at year end |
17,290 | 19,591 | 21,833 | ||||||
Average monthly minutes of use per subscriber |
127 | 130 | 142 | ||||||
Churn rate(2) |
2.5 | % | 2.6 | % | 2.6 | % | |||
COLOMBIA AND PANAMA(4) |
|||||||||
Combined operating revenues (millions) |
Ps.29,614 | Ps.32,622 | Ps.37,031 | ||||||
Average monthly revenues per subscriber(1) |
105 | 105 | 109 | ||||||
Operating income (millions) |
7,616 | 10,912 | 11,853 | ||||||
Cellular lines in service (thousands) at year end |
22,335 | 27,390 | 27,797 | ||||||
Average monthly minutes of use per subscriber |
122 | 157 | 173 | ||||||
Churn rate(2) |
2.3 | % | 2.4 | % | 3.5 | % | |||
ANDEAN REGION(5) |
|||||||||
Combined operating revenues (millions) |
Ps.16,210 | Ps.20,218 | Ps.26,087 | ||||||
Average monthly revenues per subscriber(1) |
101 | 98 | 111 | ||||||
Operating income (millions) |
3,725 | 5,284 | 7,668 | ||||||
Cellular lines in service (thousands) at year end |
12,390 | 15,482 | 17,760 | ||||||
Average monthly minutes of use per subscriber |
55 | 70 | 80 | ||||||
Churn rate(2) |
3.0 | % | 2.4 | % | 2.2 | % |
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Year ended December 31, | |||||||||
2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |||||||
in Mexican pesos except lines in service, minutes of use and churn) |
|||||||||
CENTRAL AMERICA(6) |
|||||||||
Combined operating revenues (millions) |
Ps.16,918 | Ps.16,051 | Ps.18,137 | ||||||
Average monthly revenues per subscriber(1) |
94 | 72 | 76 | ||||||
Operating income (millions) |
4,698 | 3,073 | 1,936 | ||||||
Lines in service (thousands) at year end |
10,285 | 11,320 | 11,794 | ||||||
Wireless |
8,157 | 9,158 | 9,535 | ||||||
Fixed |
2,128 | 2,162 | 2,259 | ||||||
Average monthly minutes of use per subscriber |
138 | 116 | 108 | ||||||
Churn rate(2) |
1.6 | % | 2.0 | % | 2.2 | % | |||
UNITED STATES |
|||||||||
Operating revenues (millions) |
Ps.15,604 | Ps.16,545 | Ps.22,857 | ||||||
Average monthly revenues per subscriber(1) |
134 | 122 | 136 | ||||||
Operating income (millions) |
1,503 | 943 | 956 | ||||||
Cellular lines in service (thousands) at year end |
9,514 | 11,192 | 14,427 | ||||||
Average monthly minutes of use per subscriber |
72 | 76 | 81 | ||||||
Churn rate(2) |
4.6 | % | 3.8 | % | 4.0 | % | |||
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC(7) |
|||||||||
Operating revenues (millions) |
Ps.10,990 | Ps.11,241 | Ps.14,250 | ||||||
Average monthly revenues per subscriber(1) |
142 | 120 | 121 | ||||||
Operating income (millions) |
3,946 | 3,373 | 3,891 | ||||||
Lines in service (thousands) at year end |
3,430 | 4,649 | 5,591 | ||||||
Cellular |
2,682 | 3,877 | 4,826 | ||||||
Fixed |
748 | 772 | 765 | ||||||
Average monthly minutes of use per subscriber |
104 | 97 | 82 | ||||||
Churn rate(2) |
4.3 | % | 4.2 | % | 4.6 | % | |||
CARIBBEAN(8) |
|||||||||
Operating revenues (millions) |
Ps.9,780 | Ps.12,884 | Ps.14,780 | ||||||
Average monthly revenues per subscriber |
431 | 385 | 381 | ||||||
Operating income (millions) |
1,332 | 1,612 | 361 | ||||||
Lines in service (thousands) at year end |
1,734 | 1,764 | 1,992 | ||||||
Cellular |
814 | 932 | 1,226 | ||||||
Fixed |
920 | 832 | 766 | ||||||
Average monthly minutes of use per subscriber(1) |
980 | 898 | 942 | ||||||
Churn rate(2) |
3.0 | % | 1.9 | % | 3.1 | % |
(1) | Average for the year of the amount obtained each month by dividing service revenues by the average number of customers during such month. The figure includes both prepaid and postpaid customers. |
(2) | Total number of customer deactivations for a period divided by total subscribers at the beginning of such period. |
(3) | Includes our operations in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. |
(4) | We began consolidating the results of Panama in March 2009. |
(5) | Includes our operations in Ecuador and Peru. |
(6) | Includes our operations in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. For our operations in Central America, average monthly revenues per subscriber, average monthly minutes of use per subscriber and churn rate are presented only with respect to our wireless services in these countries and do not take into consideration our fixed-line services. |
(7) | Average monthly revenues per subscriber, average monthly minutes of use per subscriber and churn rate are presented only with respect to our wireless services in this country and do not take into consideration our fixed-line services. |
(8) | Includes our operations in Puerto Rico and Jamaica. We began consolidating the results of Puerto Rico in April 2007 and of Jamaica in December 2007. |
We own, directly or indirectly, a substantial majority of the telephone plant of our non-Mexican operations.
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Brazil (Claro Participações)
General
Claro Participações S.A , or Claro Participações, through its subsidiaries is one of the three largest providers of wireless telecommunication services in Brazil, with an estimated nationwide market share in Brazil at December 31, 2009, of approximately 25.5%. Brazil is the largest market in Latin America in terms of wireless customers.
Claro Participações provides services in Brazil under a unified brand name and it offers a variety of rate plans to its postpaid customers and offers prepaid services in all of its markets. At December 31, 2009, Claro Participações served approximately 44.4 million subscribers compared to 38.7 million subscribers at December 31, 2008 and our licensed area covered approximately 192 million licensed points of presence. At December 31, 2009, approximately 80.5% of Claro Participações subscribers were prepaid customers.
Claro Participações owns and operates cellular networks using GSM and UMTS/HSDPA digital technology. We operate in Brazil under the PCS (Serviço Móvel Pessoal) regime. Claro Participações launched its GSM network in 2003 in certain major urban areas, and as of December 31, 2009, the GSM network covered more than 3,290 cities and was used by 96.2% of Claro Participações wireless subscribers. We continue rolling out the GSM network with the goal of providing similar coverage as the Band A incumbent providers in the major markets.
In addition, during the fourth quarter of 2007, we began offering 3G services in Brazil under our new UMTS/HSDPA network. We continue the rollout of UMTS/HSDPA technologies in Brazil and by December 31, 2009, our UMTS/HSDPA network covered 391 towns, where approximately 54.8% of Brazils population resides. We were the first operator to offer 3G services in Brazil. In order to rollout 3G services in Brazil, during the 2007 auction, we acquired 20 megahertz of additional spectrum in each of five regions and 30 megahertz of additional spectrum in each of six regions.
We have built our operations in Brazil through a number of transactions commencing in 2000 and ending with the acquisitions of operators in the metropolitan area of São Paulo and in the states of Ceará, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraiba, Pernambuco and Alagoas during 2003 and the acquisition of a license in the Minas Gerais region in 2005. In April 2005, Stemar, a company owned by Claro, was awarded a license to operate wireless services in the Minas Gerais region. In September 2007, Claro acquired licenses to operate wireless services in the cities of Londrina and Tamarana (Paraná) and the north region (Amazonas, Pará, Maranhão, Roraima and Amapá) in Brazil. At December 31, 2009, our two principal operating subsidiaries, Claro S.A. and Americel, had approximately 9,485 employees. We own all of our network equipment in Brazil.
We operate in Brazil through two principal operating subsidiaries, Claro and Americel. Claro is licensed to operate in the metropolitan area of São Paulo and in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, Ceará, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraiba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Bahia, Sergipe, Minas Gerais, Amazonas, Pará, Maranhão, Roraima and Amapá, and Americel in seven states in the central-west and northern regions of Brazil.
Through a number of holding companies we own more than 99.9% of the share capital of Claro S.A. and 99.3% of the share capital of Americel. BNDESPar (the private equity arm of BNDES, the Brazilian development bank) holds approximately 0.03% and 0.62% of the share capital of Claro and Americel, respectively.
Sales and Distribution
Claro Participações markets its wireless services primarily through retail chains (approximately 8,521 points of sale) and exclusive distributors (dealers) (approximately 3,056 points of sale) located throughout the regions
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where it operates in Brazil. In the year ended December 31, 2009, approximately 55% of Claro Participações sales of handsets were generated by retail chains, 20% by exclusive distributors (dealers) and approximately 5% from sales in company-owned stores, of which there are approximately 179. Claro Participações also sells and distributes its products and services over the Internet.
Claro Participações has implemented permanent training and evaluation programs for dealers to help maintain the level of service quality.
Claro Participações company-owned retail stores offer one-stop shopping for a variety of cellular services and products. Walk-in customers can subscribe for postpaid plans, prepaid plans, purchase prepaid cards and purchase handsets. Claro Participações stores serve as customer sales and service centers and Claro Participações expects to continue to open new service centers as necessary in order to offer its products directly to subscribers in more effective ways.
Claro Participações has a corporate sales group to service the needs of its large corporate and other high-usage customers.
Billing and Collection
Claro Participações bills its postpaid customers through monthly invoices, which detail itemized charges such as usage, services such as voicemail, and long-distance and roaming charges, in addition to applicable taxes. Customers may pay their bills with a credit card, through online banking, or in person at the post office or outlets of federal lottery houses (Casas Lotéricas).
If a postpaid customers payment is overdue, service may be suspended until the payment for outstanding charges is received. If the subscribers payment is more than 60 days past due, service may be discontinued. Accounts that are more than 180 days past due are categorized as doubtful accounts together with all other accounts related to the same client.
A prepaid customer who purchases a card has between 90 and 180 days from the date of activation of the card to use the airtime. After such time, the customer can no longer use that airtime for outgoing calls unless the customer activates a new card. Sixty days after the card expires, unless the customer activates a new card, the balance on the card, if any, is recognized as revenue.
Competition
Although the number of competitors has decreased primarily as a result of consolidation, competition in the Brazilian wireless industry is substantial and varies by region. In addition to us, there are three other groups in Brazil with significant nationwide coverage. The largest is Vivo, a joint venture between Telefónica Móviles and Portugal Telecom. The joint venture or one of its partners owns interests in some of the wireless companies that were created upon the breakup of Telebrás. The others are Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) and Grupo Oi, which incorporated Brasil Telecoms operations, with substantial government participation (49% through BNDES), becoming the largest fixed line operator and the fourth largest wireless operator. Other regional competitors are CTBC and Sercomtel. We also face competition from Nextel, a joint venture between Motorola and Nextel Communications, Inc., for trunking services to the corporate segment in urban areas.
Since we began providing 3G services in 2008, we also face competition in the broadband internet market from mobile companies that also offer 3G services as well as from other telecommunications companies and cable television operators, which were already providing broadband internet access services through asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) or cable technology.
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Regulatory environment
Under the General Telecommunications Law (Lei Geral de Telecomunicações) an independent regulatory agency, Anatel, regulates the telecommunications industry. Anatel has the authority to grant concessions and licenses for all telecommunications services, except for broadcasting services.
Beginning in 1997, there have been two cellular service providers in all markets in Brazil, one operating in subfrequency Band A and another in subfrequency Band B. Since 1999, the entire Brazilian telecommunications sector has been open to competition.
In September 2000, Anatel published guidelines for the implementation of PCS (Serviço Móvel Pessoal) operations in Brazil. Under the guidelines, Brazil is divided into three regions for PCS operations within the 1800 megahertz frequency, as opposed to ten regions for the cellular service providers. All concessionaires in Brazil have migrated to the PCS regime. Upon migration to PCS, the Band A and Band B cellular providers have the right to apply for long distance services licenses and are no longer subject to cellular regulations that restricted them from operating in more than two regions per Band. Regulations require that migrating companies adopt PCS service plans and provide for the establishment of charges for the use of one operators network by another. During 2003, our operating companies in Brazil exchanged their original concessions for 15-year PCS authorizations. The 15-year period started from the time the original concessions were granted, generally in 1997 or 1998. The operating companies may extend the term of the license for an additional 15 years, upon the payment of a fee.
The September 2000 guidelines also established rules regarding the selection of up to three additional wireless providers per region, corresponding to Bands C, D and E. Beginning in February 2001, Anatel initiated a series of auctions through which it sold rights to D-Band and E-Band licenses. After canceling the auction of new licenses under the C-Band, Anatel implemented procedures in May 2002 for the sale of C-Band bandwidth in installments not to exceed 50 megahertz per existing service provider, through which each of Claro Participações principal operating companies acquired bandwidth.
In December 2007, Anatel auctioned the remaining spectrum of Bands A, B, C, D, and E to existing service providers as extension blocks. In this auction, we acquired spectrum to initiate operations in the northern region of Brazil (Amazonas, Pará, Maranhão, Amapá and Roraima) and in the cities of Londrina and Tamarana.
As part of Anatels plan to auction 3G licenses (in the 2100 megahertz spectrum), Anatel issued a resolution in 2006 increasing the maximum overall spectrum permitted per operator from 50 megahertz to 80 megahertz. In December 2007, Anatel auctioned new 3G bands (Bands F, G, I and J in the 2100 megahertz spectrum) dividing Brazil into 11 regions. In that auction, we acquired 20 megahertz of additional spectrum in each of five regions and 30 megahertz of additional spectrum in each of six regions. Anatel imposed certain coverage obligations related to the purchase of additional spectrum to be fully-implemented during an eight-year period. One of the more relevant obligations require the four main operators in Brazil to provide mobile services in every city where there is no current provider by 2010. Claro S.A. is responsible for 25% or 459 of the relevant cities identified by Anatel. By the end of 2009, Claro S.A. had complied with the coverage of 269 cities, with the obligation to cover the remaining 190 in July 2010. If the coverage obligations assumed by Claro S.A. are not complied with, our operation may suffer regulatory penalties.
In Brazil, rates for telecommunications services are regulated by Anatel. In general, PCS licensees are authorized to increase basic plan rates only for inflation (less a factor determined by Anatel based on the productivity of each operator during the year) and on an annual basis. However, operators are allowed to create non-basic plans (known as alternative plans) and modify them, without prior Anatel approval. Discounts from existing service plans, both basic and non-basic, are allowed without Anatel approval.
Currently, operators determine interconnection fees by agreement, subject to Anatel intervention only in case of disputes. On February 2005, Anatel commenced an arbitration proceeding against all mobile and fixed
47
line operators in Brazil regarding the inflation adjustment applied by operators on the interconnection fees. The operators agreed on an interim price adjustment of 4.5% on mobile interconnection fees. In 2006, the arbitration panel requested that the operators hire a consulting firm to analyze and recommend a resolution to the arbitration. Because operators could not agree on a single firm, two firms were hired and each presented a report to Anatel. For the remaining proceedings, Anatel decided in 2009 to confirm the 4.5% interim adjustment. During 2007 and 2008, we entered into agreements with all mobile and some fixed operators in Brazil establishing interconnection fees. In 2009 we were unable to readjust interconnection fees as a result of Anatel determination that there should be no increase in the fixed to mobile public charges. As the mobile network termination fees are directly related to this charge, we were unable to readjust the interconnection fees. During the first quarter of 2010, fixed operators increased public charges and, therefore, we were able to readjust our interconnection fees.
In 2009, interconnection fees were submitted to investigation by the Economic Defense Department under the allegation of price squeeze.
In the auction rules for 3G licenses published in 2007, it was established that, by October 2009, all service authorizations terms should be unified under three major areas. During the last quarter of 2009, Anatel determined that interconnection fees should be submitted to negotiation between operators to establish a unified value. We expect that during 2010 we will reach an agreement with other operators. Should the value be determined other that the average, we may suffer a financial impact.
In 2005, Anatel defined a series of cost-based methods, including the fully allocated cost methodology, for determining interconnection fees charged by operators belonging to an economic group with significant market power. Anatel has not published all of the applicable regulations, but the implementation of the cost-based methodology is expected to take effect in 2010. In 2009, mobile operators in Brazil provided Anatel with 2008 annual operating data. This information is intended to support Anatels future cost-based methods for determining interconnection fees. When these methods are ultimately implemented and if we are deemed to be an economic group with significant market power, the revenues and results of operations of our Brazilian operations may be affected. Anatel had recently published a public consultation determining that economic groups with more than 20% of market share will be considered with significant market power only for purposes of interconnection fees. Should this proposal be approved, we are deemed to be an economic group with significant market power.
In July 2006, Brazilian regulators adopted a change in the interconnections regime relating to the methodology required for the recognition of interconnection fees. Under the new methodology (full bill), we recognize interconnection revenues (and costs) on a gross basis, rather than on a net basis as required by the prior system (bill and keep).
In March 2007, Anatel issued a resolution establishing the portability of fixed and mobile numbers. Through this resolution, customers have the option of retaining the fixed and mobile numbers if and when they change service providers within each state of Brazil. The implementation process of this resolution took two years, with national roll out that began in August 2008 in certain cities and ended in March 2009. Anatel has nominated an independent entity, supported by mobile and fixed operators, to manage portability solicitations and has determined, through an administrative ruling, the maximum one-time fee to be charged to a customer for the election to retain its number.
In 2007, Anatel issued a revision of the PCS rules which revision came into effect in February 2008. Under the revised PCS rules, service providers are required to implement customer service centers in all regions of Brazil with more than 100,000 inhabitants, charge only for delivered SMS messages and reimburse unused prepaid credits. Other main changes to the PCS rule include the regulation of the duration of contracts with a given operator (maximum of 12 months per contract) and the right of customers to change service plans with the same operator without penalties.
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In 2008, Anatel approved the General Regulatory Plan (or PGR) which identifies significant issues in the telecom industry and sets forth a timetable for future regulations. The PGR included Anatels plans within the next two years to regulate MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) practices, expand broadband services to rural and low-income areas and implement rules related to fixed incumbents infrastructure usage. Regulation of MVNO is expected to be published in 2010.
Anatel has also shown intention to organize several auctions in 2010 in connection with the remaining available spectrum in the 2,100, 1,900, 1,800, 900 and 850 MHz frequencies, and 3.5GHz frequencies (3,400 to 3,600 MHz). It is also expected that Anatel will allocate the 2.5GHz (2,500 to 2,690 MHz) frequency by the end of 2010.
Southern Cone
Argentina (AMX Argentina)
AMX Argentina Holdings S.A. (previously named CTI Holdings) provides nationwide PCS wireless service in Argentina under the Claro brand name, through its subsidiary AMX Argentina, S.A., or AMX Argentina. During the first quarter of 2008, we re-branded our services in Argentina to Claro, from CTI Móvil. We own a 100% interest in AMX Argentina, which we acquired through a series of transactions in 2003 and 2004. Since the acquisition, AMX Argentinas subscriber base has grown significantly, from 1.3 million in October 2003 to 17 million at December 31, 2009.
At December 31, 2009, AMX Argentina had approximately a 35.1% share of the Argentine wireless market. Approximately 73% of AMX Argentinas subscribers at December 31, 2009 resided in the interior of Argentina and the balance in the greater Buenos Aires region.
AMX Argentina began providing services in the interior of Argentina in 1994 and in Greater Buenos Aires in 2000. AMX Argentina offers basic cellular service through a variety of rate plans and also offers prepaid services. Prepaid customers represented 87.5% of AMX Argentinas total subscribers as of December 31, 2009. In addition, AMX Argentina offers long distance and value added services.
AMX Argentinas cellular network uses GSM technology and covers approximately 100% of Argentinas population. During the fourth quarter of 2007, AMX Argentina launched third generation technology networks (UMTS/HSDPA) in certain urban areas of Argentina. During 2008, we expanded the 3G coverage to the largest cities and capitals of the provinces. As of December 31, 2009, we had 3G coverage in more than 400 cities across Argentina. At December 31, 2009, AMX Argentina had 2,312 employees.
In January 2009, the Communications Ministry (Secretaría de Comunicaciones de la Nación) issued Resolution 8/09, announcing the creation of a working group for the elaboration of a draft of regulation for number portability (Anteproyecto del Régimen de Portabilidad Numérica).
AMX Argentinas principal competitors are: Telecom Personal, a subsidiary of Telecom Argentina, the principal telecom operator in Argentina, which is controlled by Telecom Italia, and Movistar, a subsidiary of Telefónica Móviles.
AMX Argentina holds licenses covering the entire Argentine territory. These licenses contain coverage, reporting and service requirements, but do not have a fixed expiration date. The Communications Ministry is in charge of supervising the telecommunications industry in Argentina. It is authorized to foreclose and sell the shares of a licensee in case of specified breaches of the terms of a license.
Chile (Claro Chile)
In August 2005, we began providing wireless services in Chile through Claro Chile S.A., or Claro Chile.
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Claro Chile provides nationwide wireless service in Chile under the Claro brand name. We own a 100% interest in Claro Chile, which we acquired in August 2005 from Endesa Participadas, S.A. We began including the results of Claro Chile in our audited consolidated financial statements in September 2005. Claro Chile had approximately 3.6 million wireless subscribers as of December 31, 2009.
At December 31, 2009, Claro Chile had approximately a 20.5% share of the Chilean wireless market and was the third largest wireless operator in Chile measured by the number of subscribers.
Claro Chile was granted one of three nationwide PCS licenses in 1997. In 1998, it began providing services in Chile under the Chilesat PCS brand, which was changed in 1999 to Smartcom and in 2006 to Claro. Claro Chile offers basic cellular service through a variety of rate plans and also offers prepaid services. Prepaid customers represented 85.3% of Claro Chiles total subscribers as of December 31, 2009. In addition, Claro Chile offers long distance and value added services.
Claro Chiles cellular network uses GSM technology and CDMA technology. In 2007, we launched a third generation UMTS network which covered 77.95% of the Chilean population by year-end 2008. Claro Chile deployed a nationwide GSM and UMTS network in 2008 that covers all urban zones in Chile. By the end of 2008, the GSM network covered 99.09% of the population. Claro Chile was the first operator to offer 3G services in Chile, during the fourth quarter of 2007. As of December 31, 2009, the GSM network covered 99.3% and the UMTS network covered 84.9% of the population. At December 31, 2009, Claro Chile had 1,512 employees.
Claro Chiles principal competitors are Entel PCS and Movistar, a subsidiary of Telefónica Móviles.
Claro Chile holds a concession covering the entire Chilean territory. The concession was awarded in June 1997 and covers a 30-year period. The concession contains coverage, reporting and service requirements. The Chilean Transportation and Communications Ministry (Ministerio de Transporte y Telecomunicaciones) is in charge of supervising the telecommunications industry in Chile. It is authorized to foreclose and sell the shares of a concessionaire in case of specified breaches of the terms of the concession.
In May 2006, Claro Chile acquired from Telefónica Móviles a concession for the use of 25 megahertz within the 850 megahertz frequency, which permits Claro Chile to increase the wireless services it provides. The term of this concession is for a 25-year period for the Metropolitan area and Region V and for an indefinite period for the rest of Chile.
Paraguay (AMX Paraguay)
In July 2005, we began providing wireless services in Paraguay through AMX Paraguay, S.A., or AMX Paraguay.
AMX Paraguay provides nationwide wireless service in Paraguay under the Claro brand. During the first quarter of 2008, we re-branded our services in Paraguay to Claro, from CTI Móvil. We own 100% interest in AMX Paraguay, which we acquired in July 2005 from Hutchison Telecom. We began including the results of AMX Paraguay in our audited consolidated financial statements in August 2005. AMX Paraguay had approximately 0.5 million wireless subscribers as of December 31, 2009.
At December 31, 2009, AMX Paraguay had approximately 9% share of the Paraguayan wireless market and was the third largest wireless operator in Paraguay measured by the number of subscribers.
AMX Paraguay offers basic cellular service through a variety of rate plans and also offers prepaid services. Prepaid customers represented 66% of AMX Paraguays total subscribers as of December 31, 2009. In addition, AMX Paraguay offers value added services.
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AMX Paraguays cellular network uses GSM technology and covers approximately 83% of Paraguays population. AMX Paraguay is expanding its nationwide GSM network in Paraguay. AMX Paraguay began offering 3G services in Paraguay, using a new UTMS/HSDPA network, during the fourth quarter of 2007 and continued the expansion of the 3G network during 2008. As of December 31, 2009, we had 3G coverage in more than 40 cities across Paraguay. At December 31, 2009, AMX Paraguay had 77 employees.
AMX Paraguays principal competitors are: Telecel (Milicom International), Nucleo, a subsidiary of Telecom Personal, the wireless operator of Telecom Argentina, and Hola Paraguay (KDDI Corporation).
AMX Paraguay holds a nationwide PCS 1900 spectrum license for a five-year term starting on January 26, 2009. The company also holds an Internet Access license covering the entire territory for a 5-year period starting on December 19, 2007. The licenses are renewable, subject to regulatory approval, and contain coverage, reporting and service requirements. The National Telecommunications Commission of Paraguay (Comisión Nacional de Telecomunicaciones de Paraguay) is in charge of supervising the telecommunications industry in Paraguay. It is authorized to cancel licenses in case of specified breaches of the terms of a license.
AM Wireless Uruguay
In June 2004, we acquired a 20-year license to operate three broad-band PCS frequencies in Uruguay. We began providing wireless services in Uruguay in December 2004, through AM Wireless Uruguay, S.A., or AM Wireless Uruguay. AM Wireless Uruguay uses GSM technology to provide service to its customer base. Its cellular network uses GSM technology and covers approximately 90% of Uruguays population.
AM Wireless Uruguay began offering 3G services in Uruguay, using a new UMTS/HSDPA network, during the fourth quarter of 2007, and continued the expansion of the 3G network in 2008. As of December 31, 2009, we had 3G coverage in more than 80 cities across Uruguay. As of December 31, 2009, AM Wireless Uruguay had approximately 0.8 million wireless subscribers. AM Wireless Uruguay had 185 employees at December 31, 2009.
During the first quarter of 2008, we re-branded our services in Uruguay to Claro, from CTI Móvil.
As of December 31, 2009, AM Wireless Uruguay had approximately a 19% share of the Uruguayan wireless market. AM Wireless Uruguay offers basic cellular services through a variety of rate plans and prepaid services. Prepaid customers represented 78% of total subscribers as of December 31, 2009.
AM Wireless Uruguays principal competitors are: Movistar, a subsidiary of Telefónica Móviles and Ancel, a company controlled by the Uruguayan government.
The Regulatory Unit of Communications Services (Unidad Reguladorada de Servicios de Comunicaciónes) is in charge of supervising the telecommunications industry in Uruguay.
Colombia (Comcel)
Comunicación Celular S.A., or Comcel, provides wireless telecommunications services in the eastern, western and Caribbean regions of Colombia. We have operated in the eastern and western regions of Colombia since 2002 and in the Caribbean region since February 2003. We own approximately 99.4% of the share capital of Comcel.
At December 31, 2009, Comcel had approximately 27.7 million subscribers, compared to 27.4 million subscribers at December 31, 2008, and had a 68% share of the wireless market. During the first quarter of 2008, Comcel began offering 3G services in Colombia under a new UMTS/HSDPA network. Comcel was the first operator to offer 3G services in Colombia. As of December 31, 2009, Comcels UMTS/HSDPA network currently covers 965 urban sites in Colombia, which account for approximately 86% of the countrys population.
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Comcel offers basic cellular service through a variety of rate plans and also offers prepaid service. Prepaid customers represented 86% of Comcels total subscribers as of December 31, 2009. Purchasers of Comcels Amigo kit for prepaid service receive a cellular phone together with airtime included, enabling the customer to activate wireless service without contracts, monthly fees or credit checks. Comcel markets its services through independent local distributors and a direct sales force. In addition, Comcel and its distributors have arrangements with various supermarkets for the distribution of all of Comcels basic services and products as well as the provision of technical service and assistance. The Amigo prepaid card is available in more than 58,000 locations nationwide and there are more than 304,000 virtual points of sale. Comcels strategy is to continue to expand its customer base through the build-out of its network.
At December 31, 2009, Comcel had 3,910 employees.
In each of the three regions of Colombia, we compete with Telefónica Móviles and Colombia Móvil, a consortium acquired by Millicom in 2006. Colombia Móvil started nationwide commercial operations in November 2003. Comcel also competes with traditional fixed-line telephone service operators. In addition, Comcel faces competition from alternative wireless services, including mobile radio and paging services, rural wireless operators and trunking services. These competing wireless services are widely used in Colombia as a substitute for fixed-line services.
The Ministry of Communications and the CRC are responsible for regulating and overseeing the telecommunications sector, including cellular operations. The Ministry of Communications, which granted the cellular concessions in 1994, supervises and audits the performances of the concessionaires legal and contractual obligations. The activities of Comcel are also supervised by the Colombian Superintendency of Industry and Commerce (Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio or SIC), which enforces antitrust regulations, promotes free competition in the marketplace and protects consumer rights.
In September 2009, the CRC issued a series of resolutions stating that Comcel has a dominant position in Colombias market for outgoing mobile services. Under Colombian law, a market participant is considered to have a dominant position in a specified market if the regulators determine that it has the capacity to control the conditions in that market. The CRC made its determination based on Comcels traffic, revenues and subscriber base. The resolutions also included regulations that would require Comcel to charge rates (excluding access fees) for mobile-to-mobile calls outside the Comcel network (off net) that are no higher than the fees charged for mobile-to-mobile calls within the Comcel network (on net) plus access fees. The regulations were first implemented on December 4, 2009 and Comcel does not expect them to have a material impact on its business and results of operations in Colombia. See Legal ProceedingsComcel Dominant Position under Item 8.
Comcel holds ten-year concessions, acquired in 1994, to provide wireless telecommunications services in the eastern, western and Caribbean regions of Colombia. Under the terms of the concessions, Comcel is required to make quarterly royalty payments to the Ministry of Communications based on its revenues. Under the terms of an agreement entered into in March 2004, the Ministry of Communications agreed to renew Comcels concessions through 2014.
Panama
In May 2008, Claro Panamá, S.A., or Claro Panamá, our Panamanian subsidiary, obtained a license for the provision of mobile voice, data and video services in Panama. The license grants the right for use of 30 megahertz in the 1900 megahertz band for a 20-year period. We paid U.S.$86 million (Ps. 894 million) for the license. In March 2009, Claro Panamá began providing wireless services in Panama.
On December 31, 2009, Claro Panamá had approximately 0.1 million wireless subscribers. Prepaid customers represented 83.8% of Claro Panamás total subscribers as of December 31, 2009. Claro Panamá uses GSM technology to provide service to its customer base. At December 31, 2009, Claro Panamá had approximately 143 employees.
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Teléfonica Móviles (Movistar) and Cable & Wireless currently provide wireless services in Panama, and Digicel acquired a license to provide services in May 2008.
Claro Panamás business is subject to comprehensive regulation and oversight by the National Authority of Public Services (Autoridad Nacional de Servicios Públicos).
Andean Region
Ecuador (Conecel)
Consorcio Ecuatoriano de Telecomunicaciones, S.A., or Conecel, is a wireless telecommunications operator in Ecuador. We own 100% of the share capital of Conecel.
At December 31, 2009, Conecel had approximately 9.4 million subscribers, compared to approximately 8.3 million at December 31, 2008, representing a 70% share of the Ecuadorian wireless market. Prepaid customers represented 88.7% of Conecels total subscribers as of December 31, 2009.
Conecel owns and operates a cellular network that uses GSM technology. In November 2007, it launched a new UMTS/HSDPA network. The GSM network provides nationwide coverage and the UMTS network covers the three largest cities (Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca), which together account for approximately 36% of Ecuadors population.
At December 31, 2009, Conecel had 1,858 employees.
Conecels principal competitor is Telefónica Móviles (Otecel Móviles), which following the purchase of the Bell South properties in Ecuador in 2004 offers wireless local, national and international long-distance and public telephone services in Ecuador.
Conecel is subject to regulation from:
| the National Telecommunications Counsel (Consejo Nacional de Telecomunicaciones, or Conatel), which is responsible for policy-making in the telecommunications area; |
| the National Telecommunications Secretariat (Secretaría Nacional de Telecomunicaciones, or Senatel), which is responsible for executing Conatels resolutions; |
| the Telecommunications Agency (Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones or Suptel), which monitors the use of authorized frequencies and compliance with concession provisions; and |
| Telecommunications and Information Society Ministry (Ministerio de Telecomunicaciones y Sociedad de la Información), which was created in August 2009 and is responsible for the telecommunications industrys development. |
In 2006, Conecel obtained a concession to operate 10 megahertz on the 1900 megahertz (Sub Band E-E) radio spectrum. This included a concession for PCS services granted in August 2008 that expires in August 2023, and concessions for data transmission and Internet services granted in May 2002 that expire in May 2017. The new PCS concession allows us to provide 3G services and contains stricter quality of service requirements regarding issues such as number of successful call completions, average delivery time of SMS services, area coverage and service.
Portability was established in Ecuador in October 2009 by a Conatel resolution.
Peru (América Móvil Perú)
In August 2005, we began providing wireless services in Peru through América Móvil Perú, S.A.C., or América Móvil Perú.
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América Móvil Perú provides nationwide wireless service in Peru under the Claro brand. We own a 100% interest in América Móvil Perú, which we acquired in August 2005 from TIM International N.V., a member of the Telecom Italia group, for a purchase price of 407 million ( 330 million after net debt adjustments) (Ps. 4,762 million). We began including the results of América Móvil Perú in our consolidated financial statements in September 2005. América Móvil Perú had approximately 8.3 million wireless subscribers as of December 31, 2009.
At December 31, 2009, América Móvil Perú had approximately 40.3% share of the Peruvian wireless market and was the second largest wireless operator in Peru measured by the number of subscribers.
América Móvil Perú began providing services in certain regions of Peru in 2001. América Móvil Perú offers basic cellular service through a variety of rate plans and also offers prepaid services. Prepaid customers represented 89% of América Móvil Perús total subscribers as of December 31, 2009. In addition, América Móvil Perú offers long distance and value added services.
América Móvil Perús cellular network uses GSM technology and, as of December 31, 2009, covers approximately 85% of Perus population. América Móvil Perú has the largest GSM coverage among all mobile operators in Perú. América Móvil Perú was the first operator to offer 3G services. During the second quarter of 2008, América Móvil Perú began offering 3G services under a new UMTS/HSDPA network using 850 Mhz band B and Segment B (total 25 Mhz). América Móvil Perús UMTS/HSDPA network currently covers 194 districts, 43% of Perús population. At December 31, 2009, América Móvil Perú had 1,794 employees.
América Móvil Perús principal competitor is Movistar Perú, a subsidiary of Telefónica Móviles.
América Móvil Perú holds concessions to provide mobile, PCS, fixed, long-distance and value added services covering all departments in Perú. The concessions were awarded by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (Ministerio de Transportación y Comunicaciones) in May 2000, March 2001 and December 2002, respectively, and each covers a 20-year period . The concessions contain coverage, reporting and service requirements. The Supervising Entity of Private Investment in Telecommunications of Peru (Organismo Supervisor de Inversión Privada en Telecomunicaciones del Perú) is in charge of supervising the telecommunications industry in Peru. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (Ministerio de Transportación y Comunicaciones) is authorized to cancel the concessions in case of specified breaches of the terms of a concession.
Mobile number portability was implemented in January 2010, and during the first quarter of 2010, requests transferring to América Móvil Perú amounted to 74% of total portability requests.
Central America
El Salvador (CTE)
Compañía de Telecomunicaciones de El Salvador, S.A., or CTE, and its subsidiaries provide fixed, mobile and other telecommunications services in El Salvador. In October 2003, we acquired a 51% interest in CTE from France Telecom and certain other investors. In December 2004, we acquired an additional 41.54% interest in CTE from the government of El Salvador. As a result of the two transactions and a number of public market transactions in El Salvador, we had a 95.8% interest in CTE at December 31, 2009.
At December 31, 2009, CTE had approximately 0.8 million fixed-line subscribers and a market share of approximately 80%.
CTEs wireless business is operated by its wholly-owned subsidiary CTE Telecom Personal S.A. de C.V. under the brand name Claro. The Claro cellular network uses GSM digital technology and covers approximately
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27% of the Salvadorean population. At December 31, 2009, Claro had approximately 1.9 million wireless subscribers, which we estimate represents a market share of approximately 30%. Claro offers both prepaid and postpaid plans.
CTE offers a variety of services through its fixed-line and wireless networks, including Internet access, data transmission and satellite television, and also sells handsets and related products. CTE also operates a telephone directory business in El Salvador and offers fixed-line services in Guatemala. CTE markets and distributes its services and products directly to customers and also employs a network of independent distributors for services and products other than basic telephony, such as prepaid calling cards and handsets. At December 31, 2009, CTE and its subsidiaries had approximately 2,266 employees.
CTE is the principal provider of fixed-line services in El Salvador. CTEs principal competitor in the wireless sector is TIGO, an affiliate of Millicom International, with a market share of approximately 44%. CTE also competes with Telefónica de El Salvador, an affiliate of Telefónica Móviles, Digicel, which is owned by a consortium of international investors, and Intelfon.
CTEs business is subject to comprehensive regulation and oversight by the Salvadorean Energy and Telecommunications Agency (Superintendencia General de Electricidad y Telecomunicaciones). CTE holds a concession from the Salvadorean government to operate its nationwide fixed-line network and Claro holds a nationwide PCS 1900 concession to operate its cellular network.
Guatemala (Telgua)
Telecomunicaciones de Guatemala, S.A., or Telgua, is a fixed-line and wireless telecommunications operator in Guatemala that was privatized in November 1998. Telgua also provides wireless, Internet, cable television, paging, data transmission and other services in Guatemala. We own approximately 99.2% of the stock of Telgua.
At December 31, 2009, Telgua had approximately 1.2 million fixed-line subscribers, which represented a market share of approximately 98%.
Telguas wireless business is operated under the brand name Claro. Claros cellular network uses CDMA digital technology and overlaid GSM technology. Telguas network covers approximately 28% of its population. At December 31, 2009, Claro had approximately 4 million wireless subscribers, representing a market share of approximately 33%.
Telgua offers a variety of services through its fixed-line and wireless networks, including Internet access, data transmission, cable television, two-way communication systems used mainly for group communication, and dispatch applications, or trunking, and also sells handsets and related products. Telgua markets and distributes its services and products directly to customers and also employs a network of independent distributors for services and products other than basic fixed-line telephony, such as prepaid calling cards and handsets.
Telgua continues to be the principal provider of fixed-line services and is the second largest mobile operator in Guatemala. Telguas competitors in the wireless sector are Millicom (Tigo), which is the market leader with 44% market share, and Telefónica Móviles (Movistar), which has 22% market share.
At December 31, 2009, Telgua had 2,554 employees.
Telguas business is subject to comprehensive regulation and oversight by the Guatemalan Telecommunications Agency (Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones) under the General Telecommunications Law (Ley General de Telecomunicaciones). Beginning in May 2006, Telguas business is subject to regulation under certain dispositions of the free trade agreement among the Dominican Republic, Central American countries,
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including Guatemala, and the United States. Telgua holds a license from the Guatemalan government to operate its nationwide fixed-line network and numerous licenses to operate its cellular network on different frequencies and in all the national territory.
Nicaragua (ENITEL and ESTESA)
In December 2003, the Nicaraguan Government accepted our bid to acquire a 49% interest in Empresa Nicaragüense de Telecomunicaciones, S.A., or ENITEL, for a purchase price of U.S.$49.6 million (Ps. 646 million). We consummated this acquisition in January 2004. ENITEL provides fixed, mobile and other telecommunications services in Nicaragua. In August 2004, we acquired an additional 50.03% interest in ENITEL from Megatel LLC and certain other investors for a price of U.S.$128 million (Ps. 1,666 million). We own 99.5% of the stock of ENITEL.
At December 31, 2009, ENITEL had approximately 2.2 million wireless subscribers, which we estimate represents approximately 66% of the wireless market in Nicaragua, and approximately 0.3 million fixed-line subscribers, which represents 100% of the fixed-line market in Nicaragua.
ENITELs wireless network uses GSM digital technology and covers approximately 74% of the Nicaraguan population and is operated under the brand name Claro. ENITEL is also a major provider of fixed-line services in Nicaragua. ENITEL offers a variety of services through its fixed-line and wireless networks, including Internet access and data transmission, and also sells handsets and related products. ENITEL markets and distributes its services and products directly to customers and also employs a network of independent distributors for services and products other than basic telephony, such as prepaid calling cards and handsets.
At December 31, 2009, ENITEL had 1,800 employees.
The principal competitor of ENITEL in the Nicaraguan wireless sector is Telefónica Móviles (Movistar), which has a market share of approximately 30%.
ENITELs business is subject to comprehensive regulation and oversight by the Nicaraguan Telecommunications Agency (Instituto Nicaragüense de Telecomunicaciones y Correos) under the General Telecommunications and Postal Services Law (Ley General de Telecomunicaciones y Servicios Postales).
In August 2008, we acquired a 100% interest in Estesa Holding Corp., or ESTESA, a provider of cable television, broadband residential and corporate data services in Nicaragua, for a purchase price of U.S.$47,841 million (Ps. 647,686 million).
Honduras (Sercom Honduras)
As part of the same transaction in which we agreed to purchase the additional 50.03% of ENITEL, we agreed to acquire all of the shares of Megatel de Honduras, S.A. de C.V., now called Servicios de Comunicaciones de Honduras, S.A. de C.V., or Sercom Honduras, which provides wireless and other telecommunications services in Honduras under the brand name Claro. The acquisition of Megatel de Honduras, S.A. de C.V. closed in June 2004.
At December 31, 2009, Sercom Honduras had approximately 1.4 million wireless subscribers, representing approximately 20% of the wireless market in Honduras. The Company uses GSM technology to provide service to its customer base. At December 31, 2009, Sercom Honduras had approximately 621 employees.
The principal competitor of Sercom Honduras in the Honduran wireless sector is Celtel, an affiliate of Millicom International, which has a market share of approximately 65%. Digicel, which has a market share of approximately 14% and entered the Honduras wireless market in October 2008, and Honducel, which has a market share of approximately 1%, are additional competitors.
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Sercom Honduras business is subject to comprehensive regulation and oversight by the Honduran Telecommunications Agency (Comisión Nacional de Telecomunicaciones, or CONATEL) under the Telecommunications Law (Ley Marco del Sector de Telecomunicaciones).
United States (TracFone)
TracFone Wireless, Inc., or TracFone, is engaged in the sale and distribution of prepaid wireless service and wireless phones throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. We own 98.2% of the capital stock of TracFone. We first acquired a controlling interest in TracFone in February 1999.
TracFone currently offers its prepaid wireless service and wireless handsets throughout the United States using an extensive distribution network. TracFone prepaid service is marketed and sold under the TracFone, Net10 and SafeLink wireless brands. At December 31, 2009, TracFone had approximately 14.4 million subscribers, including all three brands, all of which are prepaid subscribers, and is the largest operator in the U.S. prepaid cellular market. TracFones subscriber base increased by approximately 29% in 2009.
TracFone does not own any wireless telecommunications facilities or hold any wireless licenses. Instead, it purchases airtime through agreements with approximately 10 wireless service providers and resells airtime to customers. Through these agreements, TracFone has a nationwide network covering virtually all areas in which wireless services are available. For the majority of the brands, customer usage is controlled using patented, proprietary software installed in each phone TracFone sells. TracFone provides customer service and manages customers as though it were a network-based carrier. TracFone has entered into agreements with Nokia, Motorola, LG, Samsung and Kyocera to enable them to include TracFones software in various handsets they produce. TracFones business model does not require any significant recurring capital expenditures. TracFone sells handsets through a variety of U.S. retail stores and sells its prepaid airtime through a large number of independent retailers throughout the United States.
As of December 31, 2009, TracFone had 634 employees.
TracFone competes with the major U.S. wireless operators and other mobile virtual network operators. As the prepaid market has grown in the U.S., many of these entities have increased their focus on prepaid wireless services and can be expected to continue to do so in the future. TracFone is subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, and to certain U.S. telecommunications laws and regulations. TracFone is not required to procure wireless licenses to carry out its business.
Caribbean
Dominican Republic (Codetel)
Compañía Dominicana de Teléfonos, C. por A., or Codetel, provides fixed-line and wireless services in the Dominican Republic.
Codetel provides nationwide fixed-line and wireless services in the Dominican Republic under the Codetel and Claro brands, respectively. We own 100% interest in Codetel, which we acquired on December 1, 2006 from Verizon Communications, Inc. for a purchase price of U.S.$2.42 billion (Ps. 27,557 million) (U.S.$2.02 billion (Ps. 23,121 million) before net cash adjustments). We began including the results of Codetel in our audited consolidated financial statements in December 2006.
Codetel had approximately 4.8 million wireless subscribers, 0.2 million broadband subscribers and approximately 0.8 million fixed line subscribers as of December 31, 2009. At December 31, 2009, Codetel had approximately 78.47% share of the Dominican fixed line market and was the largest fixed line operator in the Dominican Republic measured by the number of subscribers. Codetel had a 54% share of the wireless market and was the largest wireless operator in the Dominican Republic at December 31, 2009.
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Codetel began providing services in the Dominican Republic in 1930. It offers a variety of services through its fixed-line and wireless networks, including Internet access and data transmission, and also sells handsets and related products. It also offers basic cellular service through a variety of rate plans and also offers prepaid services. Prepaid customers represented 85% of Codetels total wireless subscribers as of December 31, 2009. In addition, Codetel offers long distance and value added services.
Since May 1991, Codetel uses CDMA technology to provide wireless services to approximately 95% of the Dominican Republics population. Since May 2007, Codetel has also used a GSM technology network that covers approximately 97% of the Dominican Republics population. Codetel has a 3G network in place covering the most important cities and providing more than 1,400 kilometers of road coverage. At December 31, 2009, Codetel had 2,927 employees.
Codetels principal wireless competitor is France Telecom (Orange). Tricom is Codetels principal fixed-line competitor.
Codetel holds concessions to provide telecommunication services covering the whole territory of the Dominican Republic. The first concession was awarded by the Dominican government in 1930. The latest concession was awarded by the Dominican government in 1995 for a 20-year period retroactive as of April 1990, with automatic 20-year renewals. The concessions do not contain coverage, reporting or service requirements. The Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Instituto Dominicano de las Telecomunicaciones or Indotel) is in charge of supervising the telecommunications industry in the Dominican Republic. Indotel is authorized to cancel the concessions in case of specified breaches of the terms of a concession.
Jamaica (Oceanic)
Oceanic Digital Jamaica Limited, or Oceanic, provides wireless and value-added services in Jamaica.
Oceanic provides nationwide wireless services in Jamaica under the Claro brand. We own 99.4% interest in Oceanic, which we acquired on November 5, 2007 for a purchase price of U.S.$75.1 million (Ps. 800 million) (U.S.$73.6 million (Ps. 796 million) before net cash adjustments). We began including the results of Oceanic in our audited consolidated financial statements in December 2007.
Oceanic had approximately 0.4 million wireless subscribers as of December 31, 2009, 95% of which were prepaid customers. At December 31, 2009, Oceanic had approximately 15.9% share of the Jamaican wireless market.
Oceanic began providing services in Jamaica in November 2001. It offers a variety of services through its wireless networks, including web access, and also sells handsets and related products. In addition, Oceanic offers long distance and value added services, such as SMS, web access and Push to Talk.
Oceanics cellular network uses CDMA technology and covers approximately 65% of Jamaicas population. We are currently deploying GSM and UMTS networks, which are expected to cover at least 85% of the Jamaican population by the end of 2010. At December 31, 2009, Oceanic had 256 employees.
Oceanics principal competitors are Digicel and LIME Wireless.
Oceanic holds concessions to provide wireless services covering all of Jamaica. The concessions contain coverage, reporting and service requirements. The Office of Utilities Regulator (OUR) is in charge of supervising the telecommunications industry in Jamaica. The OUR is authorized to cancel the concessions in case of specified breaches of the terms of a concession.
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Puerto Rico (TELPRI)
In April 2007, we began providing fixed-line and wireless services in Puerto Rico through Telecomunicaciones de Puerto Rico, Inc. or TELPRI.
On March 30, 2007, we acquired control of 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of TELPRI for an aggregate purchase price of U.S.$1.89 billion (Ps. 20,946 million) (U.S.$2.21 billion (Ps. 25,050 million) before net debt adjustments). We acquired 62.01% of TELPRIs share capital from Verizon Communications, Inc., 28% from the Puerto Rico Telephone Authority, 12.99% from Popular Inc. and 7% from an employee stock ownership plan. TELPRI provides island-wide fixed-line services under the Puerto Rico Telephone (PRT) brand and wireless services under the Claro brand.
TELPRI began providing services in Puerto Rico in 1914 and is the leading full service telecommunications provider on the island offering fixed and mobile services, long distance (local, USA, international), broadband and value-added services island-wide through an advanced 100% digital infrastructure. The Claro brand offers video, voice and data services and has both post and prepaid rate plans.
At December 31, 2008, TELPRI had approximately 0.8 million fixed-line subscribers, 0.2 million broadband subscribers and 0.8 million wireless subscribers. On the fixed line side, TELPRI has an estimated 86.9% share of the residential-market making it the largest fixed line operator on the island. At December 31, 2009, TELPRIs Claro had approximately 25.9% share of the Puerto Rican wireless market. Postpaid customers represented 63% of total subscriber base as of December 31, 2009.
TELPRI is a major provider of fixed-line services in Puerto Rico. TELPRI also offers basic cellular service through a variety of rate plans and also offers prepaid services. In addition, TELPRI offers long distance and value added services.
TELPRI deployed a GSM network with UMTS/HSDPA capabilities in late 2007 and is currently migrating its wireless customers on the previous CDMA network. The wireless market on the island is highly competitive with AT&T, Centennial, Sprint, T-Mobile and Open Mobile as TELPRIs competitors. AT&T is the largest wireless operator in Puerto Rico, with TELPRI in a close second position. In the fixed-line business Puerto Rico Telephones principal competitors are Centennial Wireline, Worldnet Communications and other competitive local exchange carriers that resell PRTs services.
TELPRI holds concessions to provide PCS and long-distance services on the island. The concessions contain coverage, reporting and service requirements. The Federal Communications Commission, or FCC and the Telecommunications Regulatory Board of Puerto Rico oversee and regulate the telecommunications industry in Puerto Rico. The FCC has the authority to cancel the concessions in case of specified breaches of the terms.
At December 31, 2009, TELPRI had 3,980 employees.
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We own a 45.0% interest in Telvista, a Delaware corporation that operates call centers in the United States. We can give no assurance as to the extent, timing or cost of future international investments, and such investments may involve risks to which we have not previously been exposed.
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The following table sets forth our consolidated capital expenditures (in nominal amounts) for each year in the three-year period ended December 31, 2009. The table below includes capital expenditures in property, plant and equipment. We have also dedicated resources to acquire new businesses and licenses and increase our interest in some of our subsidiaries, which in 2008 and 2007 amounted to Ps. 13,737 million and Ps. 26,045 million, respectively. See Liquidity and Capital ResourcesCapital Requirements under this Item 5.
Year ended December 31,(1) | |||||||||
2007 | 2008(2) | 2009 | |||||||
(millions of nominal Mexican pesos) | |||||||||
Transmission and switching equipment |
Ps. | 32,100 | Ps. | 50,278 | Ps. | 41,018 | |||
Other |
2,522 | 6,856 | 4,377 | ||||||
Total capital expenditures |
Ps. | 34,622 | Ps. | 57,134 | Ps. | 45,395 | |||
(1) | Figures reflect amounts accrued for each period. |
(2) | As of December 31, 2008, we had not disbursed Ps. 24,621 million of our capital investments in 2008, which were disbursed in 2009. |
Our capital expenditures during 2009 related primarily to expanding the capacity of our GSM networks and expanding our third generation UMTS/HSDPA network coverage throughout our principal markets in Latin America. We have budgeted capital expenditures of approximately U.S.$3.5 billion for the year ending December 31, 2010, but this budgeted amount could change as we re-evaluate our expenditure needs during the year or as a result of any business acquisitions. We expect that our capital expenditures during 2010 will primarily relate to the expansion and upgrading of our cellular infrastructure for consolidated networks and third generation technology. We expect to spend approximately 15.0% of our budgeted capital expenditures in Mexico and the United States, 59.0% in South America, 13.0% in Central America and 13.0% in the Caribbean.
We expect to finance our capital expenditures for 2010 with funds generated from operations and, depending on market conditions and our other capital requirements, new debt financings.
Item 5. | Operating and Financial Review and Prospects |
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in this annual report. Our financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Mexican FRS, which differs in certain respects from U.S. GAAP. Note 21 to our audited consolidated financial statements provides a description of the principal differences between Mexican FRS and U.S. GAAP, as they relate to us, a reconciliation to U.S. GAAP of income and total shareholders equity, a description of how operating income under U.S. GAAP was determined and cash flow statements for the years ended 2008 and 2009 under U.S. GAAP.
Under Mexican FRS, our financial statements for periods ending prior to January 1, 2008 recognized the effects of inflation on financial information. Inflation accounting under Mexican FRS had extensive effects on the presentation of our financial statements through 2007. See Inflation Accounting under this Item 5 and Note 2(f) to our audited consolidated financial statements.
The following discussion analyzes certain operating data, such as average revenues per subscriber (also referred to as ARPU), average minutes of use per subscriber (also referred to as average MOUs per subscriber) and churn rate, that are not included in our financial statements. We calculate ARPU for a given period by dividing service revenues for such period by the average number of subscribers for such period. The figure includes both prepaid and postpaid customers. We calculate churn rate as the total number of customer deactivations for a period divided by total subscribers at the beginning of such period.
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We provide this operating data because it is regularly reviewed by management and because management believes it is useful in evaluating our performance from period to period. We believe that presenting information about ARPU and MOUs is useful in assessing the usage and acceptance of our products and services, and that presenting churn rate is useful in assessing our ability to retain subscribers. This additional operating information may not be comparable with similarly titled measures and disclosures by other companies.
We count our wireless subscribers by the number of lines activated. We continue to count postpaid subscribers for the length of their contracts. We disconnect, or churn, our postpaid subscribers at the moment they voluntarily discontinue their service or following a prescribed period of time after they become delinquent. We disconnect our prepaid subscribers after a period of four months after they discontinue using our service, so long as they have not activated a calling card or received traffic. We calculate our subscriber market share by comparing our own subscriber figures with the total market subscriber figures periodically reported by the regulatory authorities in the markets in which we operate. We understand that these regulatory authorities compile total market subscriber figures based on subscriber figures provided to them by market participants, and we do not independently verify these figures.
Inflation Accounting
Through the end of 2007, Mexican FRS required us to recognize effects of inflation in our financial statements. They also required us to present financial statements from prior periods in constant pesos as of the end of the most recent period presented. We present financial information for 2008 and 2009 in nominal pesos and financial information for 2007 and prior years in constant pesos as of December 31, 2007.
Cessation of Inflation Accounting under Mexican FRS
Mexican FRS changed beginning on January 1, 2008, and the inflation accounting methods no longer apply, except where the economic environment qualifies as inflationary for purposes of Mexican FRS. The environment is inflationary if the cumulative inflation rate equals or exceeds an aggregate of 26% over three years (equivalent to an average of 8% in each year). Based on current forecasts, we do not expect the Mexican economic environment to qualify as inflationary in 2010, but that could change depending on actual economic performance.
Changes in Mexican FRS
Note 2z.3 to our audited consolidated financial statements discusses new accounting pronouncements under Mexican FRS that came into force in 2009 and that will come into force in 2010. The pronouncements that became effective on January 1, 2009 were fully implemented in the financial statements included in this annual report. In 2010, other pronouncements might affect certain aspects of our financial statements. The 2009 accounting pronouncements were applied on a prospective basis and prior years financial statements have not been adjusted. As a result, our financial statements for 2009 may not be comparable to our financial statements for prior years.
Transition to IFRS
Beginning with the year ended December 31, 2012, Mexican issuers with securities listed on a Mexican securities exchange will be required to prepare financial information in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB. Issuers may voluntarily report using IFRS before the change in the reporting standards becomes mandatory. We have begun presenting financial statements in accordance with IFRS for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010.
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Overview
Trends in Operating Results
We have experienced significant growth in our operating revenues (14.2% in 2009, 10.9% in 2008 and 28.2% in 2007) and operating income (9.1% in 2009, 12.2% in 2008 and 39.6% in 2007) in recent years. Besides acquisitions, the principal factors affecting our operating revenues and operating income relate to growth in subscribers and traffic. Traffic can grow as a result of increased usage by existing customers or as a result of subscriber growth or both. In recent years, we have experienced a significant increase in the usage of value-added services, such as data services.
We have generally experienced both increased usage and subscriber growth in recent periods. Due principally to competitive pressures, we generally have not increased prices in recent periods. In many of our markets, we have introduced promotions and discount packages that tend to result in higher MOUs and lower ARPU. In addition, interconnection rates have been reduced in many of our markets. During 2009, for example, interconnection rates in Mexico, Colombia and Chile declined by 10%, 50% and 40%, respectively, as compared to 2008 levels. We expect the trend of declining prices to slow in 2010, but we also expect pressure on ARPU as a result of the economic crisis. Traffic increases may not continue to fully offset further price or rate declines, which may adversely affect our revenues and operating income.
At December 31, 2009, we had approximately 201.0 million wireless subscribers, as compared to 182.7 million at December 31, 2008, a 10.0% increase. During 2008, we experienced a 29.3 million or 19.1% increase in wireless subscribers. During 2007, we experienced a 28.6 million or 23.0% increase in wireless subscribers. Subscriber growth during 2009, 2008 and 2007 was substantially attributable to organic growth rather than acquisitions of new companies. We experienced wireless subscriber growth in every segment, with the largest amounts attributable to Brazil (5.7 million net new subscribers, or 31.07% of total net new subscribers), the United States (3.2 million net new subscribers, or 17.73% of total net new subscribers), Mexico (2.8 million net new subscribers, or 15.32% of total net new subscribers) and the Southern Cone (2.2 million net new subscribers, or 12.1% of total net new subscribers). The rate of organic growth in subscribers was adversely affected by the recent economic crisis. However, the South American economies recovered faster than we expected. This recovery resulted in faster subscriber growth in these markets and allowed us to meet our target for subscriber growth in 2009.
We believe that many of the markets we serve provide opportunities for continued growth; and as subscribers and traffic increase, we generally expect to report higher revenue and operating income (before depreciation and amortization) as a result of economies of scale. These effects can be partly or wholly offset, however, by the effects of competition on prices and subscriber acquisition costs. Our operating margins, particularly in certain geographic segments, have tended to decline during periods of accelerated subscriber growth because of the costs of acquiring new subscribers, which include subsidies for equipment purchases and activation commissions. As our subscriber base grows and new subscribers represent a lower fraction of our subscriber base, our operating margins have generally improved, although we cannot give assurances that this improvement will continue.
We have launched and are actively promoting 3G and value-added services in all of our markets (excluding TracFone). The introduction of 3G services in our markets contributed to an increase of 31.1%, 24.1% and 19.8% in data revenues in 2007, 2008 and 2009, respectively. Data revenues accounted for 18.1% of service revenues in 2009, as compared to 13.5% in 2008 and 12.4% in 2007. We expect that data revenues as a percentage of our service revenues will continue to increase as 3G services are more widely adopted.
Market and competitive conditions differ considerably in the markets in which we operate, and these conditions are sometimes subject to rapid change.
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Effects of Recent Business Acquisitions
During 2007 and 2008, we made significant acquisitions. The consolidation of these companies affects the comparability of our recent results. We accounted for all of these acquisitions using the purchase method, and the results of each acquired company were consolidated in our financial statements as from the month following the consummation of its acquisition. Our audited consolidated financial statements reflect the consolidation of these companies as follows:
| Telecomunicaciones de Puerto Rico, Inc. (from April 2007); |
| Oceanic Digital Jamaica Limited (from December 2007); and |
| Estesa Holding Corp. (from September 2008). |
There were no significant acquisitions in 2009.
Geographic Segments
We have operations in 18 countries, which are grouped for financial reporting purposes in nine geographic segments. Segment information is presented in Note 19 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report. Mexico is our largest single geographic market, accounting for 36.0% of our total operating revenues in 2009 and 29.4% of our total wireless subscribers at December 31, 2009. The percentage of our total operating revenues represented by Mexico decreased in 2009, as a result of acquisitions outside Mexico and faster organic revenue growth outside Mexico. We expect that our non-Mexican operations will continue to grow faster than Mexico, though exchange rate variations may affect the comparison in any given year.
Brazil is our second most important market in terms of revenues and subscribers, accounting for 20.9% of our total operating revenues in 2009 and 22.1% of our total wireless subscribers at December 31, 2009. We have made significant investments in Brazil in recent periods, through acquisitions and expansions of our networks, and the importance of our Brazilian operations has increased significantly with respect to our overall results.
Our Colombian and Panamanian operations have experienced accelerated subscriber growth in recent years; and, as a result, Colombia has become our third largest market in terms of revenues (9.4% in 2009) and subscribers (13.8% in 2009).
The table below sets forth the percentage of our revenues and total wireless subscribers represented by each of our operating segments for the periods indicated.
2007 | 2008 | 2009 | ||||||||||||||||
% Revenues |
% Subscribers(1) |
% Revenues |
% Subscribers(1) |
% Revenues |
% Subscribers(1) |
|||||||||||||
Mexico |
40.8 | 32.6 | 39.1 | 30.9 | 36.0 | 29.4 | ||||||||||||
Brazil |
18.7 | 19.7 | 20.4 | 21.2 | 20.9 | 22.1 | ||||||||||||
Southern Cone(2) |
8.7 | 11.3 | 8.8 | 10.7 | 9.4 | 10.9 | ||||||||||||
Colombia and Panama |
9.5 | 14.6 | 9.5 | 15.0 | 9.4 | 13.8 | ||||||||||||
Andean Region(3) |
5.2 | 8.1 | 5.8 | 8.5 | 6.6 | 8.8 | ||||||||||||
Central America(4) |
5.4 | 5.3 | 4.6 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.8 | ||||||||||||
United States |
5.0 | 6.2 | 4.8 | 6.1 | 5.8 | 7.2 | ||||||||||||
Dominican Republic |
3.5 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 3.6 | 2.4 | ||||||||||||
Caribbean(5) |
3.2 | 0.5 | 3.7 | 0.5 | 3.7 | 0.6 | ||||||||||||
100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | |||||||
(1) | As of December 31. |
(2) | Includes our operations in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. |
(3) | Includes our operations in Ecuador and Peru. |
(4) | Includes our operations in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. |
(5) | Includes our operations in Puerto Rico and Jamaica. |
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Our subsidiaries report significantly different operating margins. In 2009, Mexico reported operating margins higher than our consolidated operating margin, while the other segments reported lower operating margins.
Factors that drive financial performance differ for our operations in different countries, depending on subscriber acquisition costs, competitive situation, regulatory environment (including fees and revenue-based payments related to our concessions), economic factors, interconnection rates, capital expenditures requirements, debt profile and many other factors. Accordingly, our results of operations in each period reflect a combination of different effects in the different countries.
In recent years, we have experienced faster growth in our postpaid subscriber base than in our prepaid subscriber base, due in part to the quality of coverage and service and the technological platforms that allow us to offer more variety in data services. In 2009, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean reported postpaid subscriber increases that significantly exceeded those reported in 2008.
Effects of Economic Conditions and Exchange Rates
Our results of operations are affected by economic conditions in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and the other countries in which we operate. The current recessionary environment in every country in which we operate may also impact our results of operations. In periods of slow economic growth, demand for telecommunications services tends to be adversely affected.
Effects of Exchange Rates
Our results of operations are affected by changes in currency exchange rates. As discussed above, currency variations between the Mexican peso and the currencies of our non-Mexican subsidiaries, especially the Brazilian real, may affect our results of operations as reported in Mexican pesos.
Changes in the value of the various operating currencies of our subsidiaries against the U.S. dollar also result in exchange losses or gains on our net U.S. dollar-denominated indebtedness and accounts payable. Appreciation of these currencies against the U.S. dollar generally results in foreign exchange gains, while depreciation of these currencies against the U.S. dollar generally results in foreign exchange losses. We recorded foreign exchange gains of Ps. 4,557 million in 2009. We recorded foreign exchange losses of Ps. 13,686 million in 2008 and foreign exchange gains of Ps. 2,463 million in 2007. Changes in exchange rates also affect the fair value of derivative instruments that we use to manage our currency risk exposures. We recognized Ps. 732 million in fair value losses on derivatives in 2009.
Offers for Telmex Internacional and CGT
On January 13, 2010, we announced that we intend to conduct two separate but concurrent offers to acquire outstanding shares of Telmex Internacional and CGT. Telmex Internacional provides a wide range of telecommunications services in Brazil, Colombia and other countries in Latin America. CGT is a holding company with controlling interests in Telmex Internacional and Telmex, a leading Mexican telecommunications provider. If the offers are completed, we will acquire controlling interests in CGT, Telmex Internacional (directly and indirectly through CGT) and Telmex (indirectly through CGT). The principal purpose of the offers is to pursue synergies between our business and that of Telmex Internacional.
The completion of the offers will be subject to satisfaction of certain conditions. It is possible that if not all such conditions are obtained or met we will not complete the offers. Accordingly, there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offers will be completed.
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Effects of Regulation
We operate in a regulated industry. Although currently we are free to set end prices to our wireless customers, our results of operations and financial condition have been, and will continue to be, affected by regulatory actions and changes. In recent periods, for example, regulators have imposed or promoted decreases to interconnection rates, and we expect further decreases in interconnection rates in Mexico, Chile and Colombia. Lower interconnection revenues have often been offset by increased traffic resulting from lower effective prices to customers, but this may change.
In addition, some jurisdictions may impose specific regulations on wireless carriers that are deemed dominant. Although we are not currently subject to any regulations or restrictions as a result of our market position, we are one of the subjects in ongoing general market investigations in Mexico to ascertain whether one or more cellular operators have substantial market power in one or more sectors of the telecommunications industry. In November 2008, Cofeco issued a preliminary report (dictamen preliminar) finding that Telcel has substantial market power. The preliminary report was confirmed by the publication on February 10, 2010 in the Official Gazette of the relevant findings of a resolution relating to the existence of substantial market power in the nationwide market for voice services. In February 2010, Telcel filed an administrative proceeding (recurso administrativo de reconsideración) before Cofeco. When this administrative proceeding was rejected by Cofeco for analysis, Telcel filed an appeal (amparo indirecto) before an administrative judge against the rejection of the proceeding and against the issuance, subscription and publication of the February 10, 2010 resolution. Under the Antitrust Law and the Federal Telecommunications Law, if Cofeco makes a final finding of substantial market power concerning an operator, Cofetel can impose on that operator specific regulations with respect to tariffs, quality of service and information. We cannot predict what regulatory steps Cofetel may take in response to determinations by Cofeco.
In September 2009, the CRC issued a series of resolutions stating that our Colombian subsidiary, Comcel, has a dominant position in Colombias market for outgoing mobile services. Under Colombian law, a market participant is considered to have a dominant position in a specified market if the regulators determine that it has the capacity to control the conditions in that market. The CRC made its determination based on Comcels traffic, revenues and subscriber base. The resolutions also included regulations requiring Comcel to charge rates (excluding access fees) for mobile-to-mobile calls outside the Comcel network (off net) that are not higher than the fees charged for mobile-to-mobile calls within the Comcel network (on net) plus access fees. The regulations were first implemented in December 4, 2009. These regulations will limit our flexibility in offering pricing plans to our customers, but we cannot predict the effects on our financial performance.
Composition of Operating Revenues
Most of our operating revenues (88.5% in 2009) is comprised of service revenues. Of our service revenues, the largest portion (34.0% in 2009) is from airtime charges for outgoing calls. We also derive a significant portion of our revenues from interconnection charges billed to other service providers for calls completed on our network. The primary driver of usage charges (airtime and interconnection charges) is traffic, which, in turn, is driven by the number of customers and by their average usage. Postpaid customers generally have an allotment of airtime each month for which they are not required to pay usage charges. Service revenues also include (1) monthly subscription charges paid by postpaid customers, (2) long-distance charges and (3) charges for value-added and other services, such as roaming, call forwarding, call waiting, call blocking and short text messaging.
Revenues from sales of prepaid services are deferred and recognized as airtime is used or when it expires, and are included under usage charges. Monthly basic rent under post-paid is billed in arrears based on the plan
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and package rates approved and correspond to services rendered, except in Mexico and Colombia, where basic monthly rent is billed one month in advance. Revenues are recognized at the time services are provided. Billed revenues for the service not yet rendered are recognized as deferred revenues.
We also have sales revenues from selling handsets and other equipment. Most of our new subscribers purchase a handset, and although we also sell new handsets to existing customers, changes in sales revenues are driven primarily by the number of new customers. The pricing of handsets is not geared primarily to making a profit from handset sales, because it also takes into account the service revenues that are expected to result when the handset is used.
Seasonality of our Business
Our business has been subject to a certain degree of seasonality, characterized by a higher number of new clients during the fourth quarter of each year. We believe seasonality is mainly driven by the Christmas shopping season.
Consolidated Results of Operations
Operating Revenues
Operating revenues increased by 14.2% in 2009. The Ps. 49,056 million total increase was attributable to increases in service revenues (Ps. 50,988 million), partially offset by a decrease in equipment revenues (Ps. 1,932 million). We experienced subscriber growth in all of our markets for wireless services.
Service revenues increased by 17.1% in 2009. The total increase of Ps. 50,988 million in service revenues is principally due to increased traffic and subscriber growth (Ps. 23,792 million, or 8.0% of the increase) reflecting a significant increase in the usage of value added services and to exchange rate variations (Ps. 27,196 million, or 9.1% of the increase) primarily attributable to the appreciation of the Brazilian real and the Colombian peso against the Mexican peso.
Equipment revenues decreased by 4.1% in 2009, from Ps. 47,505 million to Ps. 45,573 million. This decrease primarily reflects a decrease in the average selling price of handsets. Equipment revenues as a percentage of total revenues decreased from 13.7% in 2008 to 11.5% in 2009.
In 2008, our operating revenues increased by Ps. 34,075 million, or 10.9%, compared to 2007. The total increase of Ps. 31,813 million in service revenues reflects principally increased traffic and subscriber growth (Ps. 28,122 million), as our wireless subscriber base increased by 19.1%. The balance of the increase in service revenues reflects increases due to exchange rate variation (Ps. 7,021 million) and to the effect of consolidating Puerto Rico for the full year (Ps. 3,039 million), offset in part by the effect of inflation accounting on 2007 revenues (Ps. 6,370 million). This was partly offset by lower ARPU attributable principally to promotions and discount packages, lower interconnection rates in some markets and a growing proportion of prepaid subscribers, who generate less revenue per line than postpaid subscribers.
Equipment revenues accounted for Ps. 2,261 million, or 6.6%, of the Ps. 34,075 million increase in operating revenues in 2008. This primarily reflects subscriber growth. Equipment revenues as a percentage of total revenues decreased from 14.5% in 2007 to 13.7% in 2008.
Operating Costs and Expenses
Cost of sales and servicesCost of sales and services represented 41.8% of operating revenues in 2009, 42.2% of operating revenues in 2008 and 42.5% of operating revenues in 2007. In absolute terms, cost of sales and services increased by 13.0% in 2009 and 10.3% in 2008, due principally to increases in interconnection rates, infrastructure rental costs, network maintenance costs and radio base station rental costs.
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Cost of sales was Ps. 76,187 million in 2009 and Ps. 75,117 million in 2008 and primarily represents the cost of handsets sold to subscribers. Costs of handsets increased by 1.4% in 2009 and by 7.3% in 2008 and exceeded our revenues from the sale of handsets by 40.0% during 2009 and 36.7% during 2008, since we subsidize the cost of handsets for new subscribers.
Cost of services increased by 25.3% in 2009 to Ps. 17,945 million. This increase in cost of services was greater than the growth in service revenues, which increased by 17.1% in 2009. Cost of services increased faster than service revenues primarily due to increases in revenue-based concession payments in Mexico, the fee for renewal of our concession in Ecuador, infrastructure costs, employee salary increases and infrastructure maintenance costs. Cost of services increased by 13.6% in 2008 compared to 2007, while service revenues increased by 11.9% during the same period.
Commercial, administrative and generalCommercial, administrative and general expenses represented 18.3% of operating revenues in 2009, 18.0% of operating revenues in 2008 and 17.2% of operating revenues in 2007. On an absolute basis, commercial administrative and general expenses increased by 16.1% in 2009 and 16.3% in 2008. The increase in commercial, administrative and general expenses in 2009 principally reflects higher advertising expenses, higher commissions paid to our distributors, establishment of new customer service centers and an increase in our uncollectible accounts.
Telcel, like other Mexican companies, is required by law to pay to its employees, in addition to their agreed compensation and benefits, profit sharing in an aggregate amount equal to 10% of Telcels taxable income. Conecel, our Ecuadorian subsidiary, and Claro Peru, our Peruvian subsidiary, are also required to pay employee profit sharing at a rate of 15% of Conecels and 10% of Claro Perus taxable income. We recognize these amounts under commercial, administrative and general expenses.
Depreciation and amortizationDepreciation and amortization increased by 27.1% in 2009 and 3.4% in 2008. As a percentage of revenues, depreciation and amortization increased from 12.1% in 2008 to 13.4% in 2009. The increases in depreciation and amortization in 2009 and 2008 reflect the substantial investments made in our networks and a charge of Ps. 4,462 million in 2009 and of Ps. 1,996 million in 2008, in each case due to the shortening of the useful life of certain GSM assets in Brazil in 2009.
Operating Income
Operating income increased by 9.1% in 2009 and 12.2% in 2008. Operating income in 2009 reflects a charge of Ps. 4,462 million due to the shortening of the useful life of certain plants and equipment in Brazil. Absent this additional depreciation charge in Brazil, our operating income during 2009 would have increased by 11.4% in 2009.
All of our segments reported operating income in 2009. Operating margin (operating income as a percentage of operating revenues) was 26.4% in 2009, 27.6% in 2008 and 27.3% in 2007. The decrease in our operating margin in 2009 is due principally to the increased depreciation costs in Brazil and an increase in indirect taxes, including taxes on our concessions, local taxes and employee profit sharing. Improvement in our operating margin in 2008 reflected principally the increase in service revenues.
Comprehensive Financing Cost
Under Mexican FRS, comprehensive financing cost reflects interest income, interest expense, foreign exchange gain or loss and other financing costs. Through 2007, comprehensive financing cost also included gain or loss attributable to the effects of inflation on monetary assets and liabilities.
We had comprehensive financing cost of Ps. 2,982 million in 2009, as compared to comprehensive financing cost of Ps. 13,865 million in 2008 and Ps. 387 million in 2007. The decrease in comprehensive
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financing cost in 2009 reflects principally (a) a 12.5% decrease in net interest expense due to a decrease in net debt, (b) foreign exchange gains of Ps. 4,557 million due principally to the appreciation of the Mexican peso against the U.S. dollar and (c) a decrease in net other financing costs, primarily due to fair value losses of our derivative financial instruments, commissions and stock exchange registration and listing costs.
The increase in financing cost in 2008 reflects principally (a) foreign exchange losses of Ps. 13,686 million due principally to the depreciation of the Mexican peso against the U.S. dollar, (b) net other financing income of Ps. 6,358 million, primarily due to fair value gains on currency derivatives and (c) no monetary gains or losses in 2008, due to the cessation of inflation accounting under Mexican FRS, as compared to a monetary gain of Ps. 5,038 million in 2007.
For 2009, 2008 and 2007, changes in the components of financing cost were as follows:
| Net interest expense decreased by 12.5% in 2009 and increased by 38.0% in 2008. The decrease in 2009 was primarily attributable to a decrease in our consolidated net debt. The increase in 2008 was primarily attributable to increased net debt resulting from increased capital expenditures. |
| We had a net foreign exchange gains of Ps. 4,557 million in 2009, compared to a loss of Ps. 13,686 million in 2008 and a gain of Ps. 2,463 million in 2007. The foreign exchange gain in 2009 was primarily attributable to the 3.5% appreciation of the Mexican peso against the U.S. dollar. The foreign exchange loss in 2008 was primarily attributable to the depreciation of the Mexican peso against the U.S. dollar and was partly offset by gains on currency derivatives described below. The foreign exchange gain in 2007 was primarily attributable to appreciation of the Mexican peso against the US. dollar and of the Brazilian real and the Colombian peso against the Mexican peso and the U.S. dollar. |
| In 2009 and 2008, following the cessation of inflation accounting under Mexican FRS, we did not record monetary gains or losses. In 2007, we reported a Ps. 5,038 million net monetary gain, as compared to Ps. 3,848 million in 2006. The increase in 2007 was primarily related to higher inflation in many of our markets, as well as an increase in our average net indebtedness. See Inflation Accounting under this Item 5. |
| We reported a net other financing loss of Ps. 1,820 million in 2009, compared to a gain of Ps. 6,358 million in 2008 and a loss of Ps. 3,153 million in 2007. Net other financing costs include fair value gains and losses of financial instruments, commissions, fair value gains and losses on the sale of investments. In 2009, our net other financing cost was principally attributable to fair value losses of our financial instruments and commissions. In 2008, our net financing income was principally attributable to a net fair value gain on our currency derivatives of Ps. 7,497 million. In 2007, our net financing costs were principally attributable to the write-off of our investment in U.S. Commercial Corp. and fair value gain on our derivative instruments. |
| We capitalized financing cost of Ps. 1,627 million in 2009, Ps. 7,054 million in 2008 and Ps. 1,158 million in 2007, in each case related to construction of our plant, property and equipment. |
Income Tax
Our effective rates of provisions for corporate income tax as a percentage of pretax income were 22.4%, 25% and 27.7% for 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively. Our effective rate in 2009 and 2008 includes the partial reversal of the valuation allowance corresponding to tax losses in Brazil. The statutory rate of Mexican corporate income tax was 28% in 2009, 2008 and 2007.
In 2008, Mexico introduced a new flat rate business tax (Impuesto Empresarial a Tasa Única, or IETU). IETU is calculated by reference to the income derived from the transfer of goods, the lease of assets and the rendering of services. The rate for 2008 and 2009 was 16.5% and 17%, respectively. Hereafter, the rate will be 17.5%.
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Other Expense, Net
In 2009, we recorded net other expense of Ps. 2,166 million in 2009, compared to net other expense of Ps. 2,327 million in 2008 and Ps. 3,713 million in 2007. The expense in 2009 reflects principally other net financing costs and other non-operating costs. The expense in 2008 reflects principally an impairment of goodwill in Honduras and the accrual for interest and penalties for certain tax contingencies in Brazil. The expense in 2007 reflects principally our decision to discontinue the use of certain time division multiple access (or TDMA) equipment in Colombia and Ecuador.
Equity in Results of Affiliates
Our proportionate share of the results of equity-method affiliates resulted in income of Ps. 196 million in 2009, Ps. 109 million in 2008 and Ps. 58 million in 2007. The income in 2009, 2008 and 2007 reflect principally our share of the income reported by Grupo Telvista, S.A. de C.V., a Mexican sociedad anónima de capital variable.
Net Income
We had majority net income of Ps. 76,913 million in 2009, Ps. 59,486 million in 2008 and Ps. 58,588 million in 2007. The increase in net income in 2009 reflects principally the Ps. 8,663 million increase in operating income and a significant reduction (Ps. 10,884 million) in our comprehensive financing cost. The increase in net income in 2008 principally reflects our increase in operating income, which was substantially offset by an increase in our exchange losses. The increase in net income in 2007 principally reflects our increased operating income, which was partially offset by an increase in our income tax expense.
Results of Operations by Geographic Segment
We discuss below the operating results of our subsidiaries that provide telecommunication services in our principal markets. All amounts discussed below are presented in accordance with Mexican FRS. Note 2(a)(ii) to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report describes how we translate the financial statements of our non-Mexican subsidiaries. Exchange rate changes between the Mexican peso and those currencies affect our reported results in Mexican pesos and the comparability of reported results between periods.
The following table sets forth the exchange rate used to translate the results of our significant non-Mexican operations, as expressed in Mexican pesos per foreign currency unit, and the change from the rate used in the prior year.
Mexican pesos per foreign currency unit | |||||||||||||||
2007 | % Change |
2008 | % Change |
2009 | % Change |
||||||||||
Guatemalan quetzal |
1.4239 | (0.6 | )% | 1.7398 | 22.2 | % | 1.5631 | (10.2 | )% | ||||||
U.S. dollar(1) |
10.8662 | (0.1 | ) | 13.5383 | 24.6 | 13.0587 | (3.5 | ) | |||||||
Brazilian real |
6.1345 | 20.5 | 5.7930 | (5.6 | ) | 7.4998 | 29.5 | ||||||||
Colombian peso |
0.0054 | 10.2 | 0.006 | 11.1 | 0.0064 | 6.7 | |||||||||
Argentine peso |
3.4506 | (2.9 | ) | 3.9207 | 13.6 | 3.4365 | (12.3 | ) | |||||||
Dominican peso |
0.316 | (1.9 | ) | 0.382 | 20.8 | 0.3604 | (5.6 | ) |
(1) | The U.S. dollar is the sole monetary instrument and unit of account and the main currency for transaction purposes in Ecuador and Puerto Rico. |
Note 19 to our audited consolidated financial statements includes certain financial information of our operations by country. Except as discussed below, the following discussion is based on the segment data included in that note.
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The following table sets forth the number of subscribers and the rate of subscriber growth by geographic segment during the last three years.
Number of subscribers (in thousands) as of December 31,(1) | |||||||||||||||
2007 | % Change |
2008 | % Change |
2009 | % Change |
||||||||||
Wireless |
|||||||||||||||
Mexico |
50,011 | 15.8 | % | 56,371 | 12.7 | 59,167 | 5.0 | ||||||||
Brazil |
30,228 | 26.6 | 38,731 | 28.1 | 44,401 | 14.6 | |||||||||
Southern Cone(2) |
17,290 | 30.5 | 19,591 | 13.3 | 21,833 | 11.4 | |||||||||
Colombia and Panama(3) |
22,335 | 14.4 | 27,390 | 22.6 | 27,797 | 1.5 | |||||||||
Andean Region(4) |
12,391 | 37.3 | 15,482 | 25.0 | 17,760 | 14.7 | |||||||||
Central America(5) |
8,157 | 38.8 | 9,158 | 12.3 | 9,535 | 4.1 | |||||||||
Dominican Republic |
2,682 | 25.3 | 3,877 | 44.6 | 4,826 | 24.5 | |||||||||
Caribbean(6) |
814 | | 932 | 14.5 | 1,226 | 31.5 | |||||||||
United States |
9,514 | 20.5 | 11,192 | 17.6 | 14,427 | 28.9 | |||||||||
Total wireless |
153,422 | 23.0 | 182,724 | 19.1 | 200,972 | 10.0 | |||||||||
Fixed |
|||||||||||||||
Central America(7) |
2,197 | 4.8 | 2,242 | 2.0 | 2,259 | 0.8 | |||||||||
Dominican Republic |
748 | 1.9 | 772 | 3.1 | 765 | (0.9 | ) | ||||||||
Caribbean(6) |
921 | | 832 | (9.5 | ) | 765 | (8.0 | ) | |||||||
Total Fixed |
3,866 | 36.5 | 3,846 | (0.5 | ) | 3,789 | (1.5 | ) | |||||||
Total Lines |
157,287 | 23.3 | 186,570 | 18.6 | 204,761 | 9.7 | |||||||||
(1) | Includes total subscribers of all consolidated subsidiaries in which we hold an economic interest. |
(2) | Includes Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. |
(3) | We began operations in Panama in March 2009. |
(4) | Includes Ecuador and Peru. |
(5) | Includes El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua |
(6) | Includes Puerto Rico and Jamaica. |
(7) | Includes El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. |
The table below sets forth the operating revenues and operating income represented by each of our operating segments for the periods indicated.
(2009 and 2008 in millions of Mexican pesos,
previous year in millions of constant Mexican pesos as of December 31, 2007) | ||||||||||||
2007 | 2008 | 2009 | ||||||||||
Operating Revenues |
Operating Income |
Operating Revenues |
Operating Income |
Operating Revenues |
Operating Income | |||||||
Mexico(1) |
Ps.126,923 | Ps.59,075 | Ps.135,068 | Ps.63,064 | Ps.142,135 | Ps.68,599 | ||||||
Brazil |
58,305 | 608 | 70,484 | 1,584 | 82,300 | 1,368 | ||||||
Southern Cone(2) |
27,237 | 2,691 | 30,541 | 5,702 | 37,135 | 7,578 | ||||||
Colombia and Panama(3) |
29,614 | 7,616 | 32,622 | 10,955 | 37,031 | 11,853 | ||||||
Andean Region(4) |
16,210 | 3,725 | 20,218 | 5,284 | 26,087 | 7,668 | ||||||
Central America(5) |
16,918 | 4,698 | 16,051 | 3,029 | 18,137 | 1,936 | ||||||
United States |
15,604 | 1,503 | 16,546 | 943 | 22,857 | 956 | ||||||
Dominican Republic |
10,990 | 3,946 | 11,241 | 3,373 | 14,250 | 3,891 | ||||||
Caribbean(6) |
9,779 | 1,332 | 12,883 | 1,612 | 14,780 | 361 |
(1) | Includes our operations in Mexico and our corporate operations and assets. |
(2) | Includes our operations in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. |
(3) | Includes our operations in Ecuador and Peru. |
(4) | We began our operations in Panama in March 2009. |
(5) | Includes our operations in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. |
(6) | Includes our operations in Puerto Rico and Jamaica. |
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Mexico
Operating revenues in Mexico increased by 5.2% in 2009 and 6.4% in 2008, benefiting from subscriber growth and increases in traffic. Service revenues increased by 9.3% in 2009 and 6.3% in 2008, reflecting growth in revenues from value-added, airtime and long distance services, partially offset by a decrease in interconnection revenues due to lower interconnection fees that were not compensated by volume. Equipment revenues in Mexico decreased by 6.5% in 2009 and increased by 7.4% in 2008, principally due to a reduction in the average sales price of handsets. The number of subscribers in Mexico increased by 5.0% in 2009 and 12.7% in 2008.
Average MOUs per subscriber increased by 11.3% in 2009 and 21.7% in 2008. ARPU decreased by 1.2% in 2009 and 7.5% in 2008. During both years, we lowered the price of some of our services through new commercial plans and promotions, which contributed to the increase in subscribers and MOUs but had a negative impact on ARPU. In addition, in 2008 and 2009, our ARPU was negatively affected by lower interconnection rates and an increase in the share of our total traffic represented by data services, such as SMS messaging and other 3G services, which on average generate lower revenues per minute of use than voice services. Reductions in interconnection tariffs also resulted in lower interconnection revenues. The churn rate for our Mexican operations was 3.2% in 2009, 3.3% in 2008 and 3.4% in 2007.
Operating income increased by 10.6% in 2009 and 4.6% in 2008. Our operating margin was 48.2% in 2009 and 45.8% in 2008. The increase in our operating margin in 2009 is due principally to an increase in our operating revenues and the implementation of strict controls in our operating costs and expenses, which remained unchanged as a percentage of our operating revenues. In 2008, operating margin decreased, reflecting an increase in cost and expenses principally due to equipment subsidies, uncollectible accounts and employee profit sharing, which was greater than the increase in operating revenues in that year. Finally, depreciation and amortization expenses of our Mexican operations as a percentage of its operating revenues increased slightly from 6.2% in 2008 to 6.5% in 2009.
For Mexico, the financial information set forth in Note 19 to our audited financial statements includes revenues and costs from group corporate activities, such as licensing fees and group overhead expenses. The discussion above refers to our operating results in Mexico and excludes the results of our group corporate activities.
Brazil
Operating revenues in Brazil increased by 16.8% in 2009 and 20.9% in 2008. The increase in 2009 was primarily attributable to the appreciation of the Brazilian real against the Mexican peso as well as an increase in traffic and subscriber growth. The number of our subscribers in Brazil increased by 5.7 million subscribers in 2009 to approximately 44.4 million subscribers as of December 31, 2009. The increase in operating revenues in 2008 was primarily attributable to increased traffic and subscriber growth and data revenue. The 6% appreciation of the Brazilian real against the Mexican peso in 2008 also contributed to the increase in operating revenues in 2008, as 6.9% of the 20.9% was due to currency effects. The number of subscribers increased by 8.5 million subscribers in 2008 to approximately 38.7 million subscribers.
Average MOUs per subscriber decreased by 9.4% in 2009 and increased by 20.7% in 2008. ARPU decreased by 0.3% in 2009 and 3.1% in 2008. Calculated in nominal Brazilian reais, ARPU decreased by 8.0% in 2009 and 7.4% in 2008. The decrease in average MOUs and ARPU during 2009 reflects a significant increase in the use of data services as compared to voice (airtime and long distance) services. The increase in average MOUs during 2008 as well as the decrease in ARPU during 2008 reflects the impact on traffic of our lowering of prices through new commercial plans and promotions for our 3G services. Our churn rate was 2.8% in 2009 and 2.7% in 2008.
Operating income decreased by 13.7% in 2009 and increased by 161.0% in 2008. Operating income in 2009 and 2008 reflects primarily the effect of higher depreciation expense resulting from the shortening of the useful
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lives of certain GSM and TDMA assets in 2009 and 2007 as compared to 2008. In 2009, the depreciation expense resulting from the shortening of the useful lives of certain GSM assets was Ps. 4,462 million. The depreciation expense in 2008 relating to GSM and TDMA assets was Ps. 1,996 million. Operating margin (1.7% in 2009 and 2.2% in 2008) continues to be affected by a high level of depreciation and amortization expenses relative to revenues due to the significant costs incurred to deploy networks. Absent these depreciation expenses, the operating margin would have been 5.1% in 2008 and 7.1% in 2009. Depreciation and amortization expenses represented 22.5% of our operating revenues in 2009 and 21.4% in 2008.
Southern ConeArgentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay
Our operating revenues in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay increased by 21.6% in 2009 and 12.1% in 2008. The increase in 2008 and 2009 was attributable primarily to subscriber growth. The number of subscribers increased by 2.2 million subscribers in 2009 to approximately 21.8 million subscribers at year-end. Since 2007, our postpaid subscriber base has grown at a faster rate than our prepaid subscriber base. The currency effects between the Argentine peso and the Mexican peso did not have a significant effect on our operating revenues in 2009 and 2008.
Average MOUs per subscriber increased by 9.2% in 2009 and 2.3% in 2008. ARPU increased by 8.5% in 2009 and decreased by 4.8% in 2008. Expressed in nominal local currencies, ARPU increased in 2009 by 5.9% in Argentina, 52% in Paraguay and 4% in Uruguay and decreased by 15% in Chile. In 2008, ARPU increased by 3.0% in Argentina and 11.7% in Paraguay and decreased by 10.0% in Uruguay and 7.3% in Chile. The increase in MOUs in 2009 principally reflected reflects an increase in our airtime traffic and a significant increase in traffic and revenues from data and value-added services. The increase in MOUs in 2008 principally reflected a decrease in prices due to promotions and airtime subsidies including free calls to friends and family. Our churn rate remained stable at 2.6% in 2008 and 2009.
Operating income increased by 32.9% in 2009 and 112.0% in 2008. This increase in 2009 reflected an increase in operating revenues and a reduction in our subscriber acquisition costs and other operating costs and expenses. The increase in 2008 reflected principally both a significant increase in our operating revenues and a reduction in the commissions payable to our distributors.
Colombia and Panama
Operating revenues increased by 13.5% in 2009 and 10.2% in 2008. The increase in operating revenues in 2009 was attributable to the appreciation of the Colombian peso against the Mexican peso and subscriber growth. The increase in operating revenues in 2008 was attributable principally to subscriber growth, increased traffic, the appreciation of the Colombian peso against the Mexican peso and increased revenue from long distance charges. The Colombian peso appreciated 11.9% against the Mexican peso in 2008, and currency appreciation accounted for approximately 6.5% of the increase in revenues during 2008. Also, we began providing long distance services in Colombia in 2008. These factors more than offset a decrease in interconnection tariffs of 50% in Colombia beginning in December 2007. In 2009, the number of subscribers in Colombia and Panama increased by 1.5% to approximately 27.8 million as of December 31, 2009. In 2008, the number of subscribers in Colombia increased by 22.6%.
Average MOUs per subscriber increased by 10.2% in 2009 and 28.7% in 2008. ARPU increased by 8.8% in 2009 and decreased by 4.8% in 2008. Calculated in nominal Colombian pesos, ARPU decreased by 3.3% in 2009 and 8.4% in 2008. The increase on average MOUs per subscriber in 2009 reflected primarily an increase in traffic resulting from the net increase in subscriber growth. The increase on average MOUs per subscriber in 2008 reflected primarily the reduction in prices for our voice and data services. The decrease in ARPU in local currency during 2009 reflected the lower interconnection fees which were not compensated by the increase in volume. The decrease in ARPU during 2008 reflected principally the lowering of our prices for voice and data services through promotions and lower rates. A substantial majority of our subscriber growth in 2009 and 2008
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was attributable to an increase in prepaid customers, which generate on average less minutes of use and revenues than postpaid customers. Our churn rate increased from 2.4% in 2008 to 3.5% in 2009.
Our operating income increased by 8.2% in 2009 and 43.8% in 2008. Operating income in 2009 reflects the implementation of stricter controls in our operating costs and expenses, particularly with respect to handset subsidies. Operating income in 2008 reflects a reduction in subscriber acquisition costs and the effect in 2007 of higher depreciation expense resulting from the useful lives of certain GSM assets. Our operating margin was 32.0% in 2009 and 33.6% in 2008.
We began operating in Panama in March 2009. The commencement of operations in Panama did not have a significant impact in the operating margin and results of operations of this segment.
Andean RegionEcuador and Peru
Operating revenues in Ecuador and Peru increased by 29.0% in 2009 and 24.7% in 2008. The increase in operating revenues in 2009 reflected principally the appreciation of the local currencies against the Mexican peso and subscriber growth. Currency effects contributed to 71.7% of the growth in operating revenues in 2009. The increase in operating revenues in 2008 was attributable principally to subscriber growth and increased traffic. In 2009, the number of subscribers increased by 14.7% to approximately 17.7 million at year-end 2009. In 2008, the number of subscribers increased by 24.9%.
Average MOUs per subscriber increased by 16.4% in 2009 and 27.3% in 2008. ARPU increased by approximately 13.0% in 2009 and decreased by approximately 3.0% in 2008. The increase in ARPU during 2009 reflected the appreciation of local currencies against the Mexican peso. The decline in ARPU during 2008 reflected principally subscriber growth and a reduction in our rates per minute. Our churn rate decreased from 2.4% in 2008 to 2.2% in 2009.
Operating income increased by 45.1% in 2009 and 41.8% in 2008. Our operating margin was 29.4% in 2009 and 26.1% in 2008. The increase in operating margin during 2009 resulted from a reduction in subscriber acquisition costs. The increase in operating margin during 2008 resulted from an increase in revenues, partially offset by a Ps. 136 million income-based payment related to our concession in Ecuador.
Central AmericaEl Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua
Operating revenues in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua increased by 13.0% in 2009 and decreased by 5.1% in 2008. The increase in 2009 reflected principally the 15.6% appreciation of the local currencies (mainly the dollar) against the Mexican peso, which compensated for a 2.6% decrease in operating revenues in local currencies. The decrease in 2008 reflected principally a decrease in nearly all sources of operating revenue as a result of a decrease in our share of the market. In 2009, the number of wireless subscribers in Central America increased by 4.1% to 9.5 million at year-end 2009. The number of fixed line subscribers increased by 0.8%, to approximately 2.3 million at year-end. In 2009, wireless services accounted for approximately 51.9% of our operating revenues, and fixed-line and other services for approximately 48.1%, as compared to 52.5% and 47.5%, respectively, in 2008.
Average MOUs decreased by 6.9% in 2009 and 13.4% in 2008. ARPU increased by 5.1% in 2009 and decreased by 23.4% in 2008. The increase in ARPU in 2009 reflects principally the appreciation of the local currencies, in particular the U.S. dollar, against the Mexican peso. Calculated in local currencies, ARPU decreased primarily as a result of increased competition for wireless customers in the region.
Operating income decreased by 36.1% in 2009 and 35.5% in 2008. Operating margin was 10.7% in 2009 and 18.9% in 2008. The decrease in operating income and margin in 2009 reflected principally increased network maintenance costs and radio base station rental costs. The decrease in operating income and margin in 2008 reflected principally increased network maintenance costs and acquisition costs related to triple-play.
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United States
Operating revenues in the United States increased by 38.1% in 2009 and 6.0% in 2008. The increase in operating revenues in 2009 reflected principally new commercial plans and promotional packages that contributed to the increase in subscriber growth. The increase in operating revenues in 2008 was attributable principally to subscriber growth and increased traffic. In 2009, the number of TracFone subscribers increased by 28.9% to approximately 14.4 million as of December 31, 2009; and in 2008, the number of TracFone subscribers increased by 17.6% to approximately 11.2 million as of December 31, 2008.
Average MOUs per subscriber increased by 6.1% in 2009 and 5.6% in 2008. ARPU increased by 11.7% in 2009 and decreased by 9.0% in 2008. The increase in ARPU in 2009 reflects our new commercial plans and promotional packages. The decline in ARPU in 2008 was primarily attributable to the increasing portion of TracFones traffic that is comprised of digital traffic, which results in lower revenues per minute than analog traffic. The churn rate increased from 3.8% in 2008 to 4.0% in 2009.
Operating income increased by 1.4% in 2009 and decreased by 37.3% in 2008. TracFones operating margin decreased from 5.7% in 2008 to 4.2% in 2009. The increase in operating income in 2009 reflected currency effects due to the appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Mexican peso and subscriber growth. The decrease in operating margin in 2009 reflects higher subscriber acquisition costs due mainly to equipment subsidies and publicity expenses.
Dominican Republic
Operating revenues in the Dominican Republic increased by 26.8% in 2009 and 2.3% in 2008. The increase in 2009 reflects the appreciation of the Dominican peso against the Mexican peso and subscriber growth. The increase in 2008 reflected principally subscriber growth in the wireless market and improved service promotions. In 2009, the number of wireless subscribers in the Dominican Republic increased by 24.5%, and in 2008, the number of wireless subscribers increased by 44.6%. In 2009, the number of fixed line subscribers decreased by 0.9%, and the number of fixed line subscribers increased by 3.1% in 2008. In 2009, wireless services accounted for approximately 49.2% of our operating revenues as compared to approximately 43.8% in 2008. Fixed-line and other services accounted for approximately 50.8% as compared to 56.2% in 2008.
Average MOUs decreased by 15.3% in 2009 and 6.7% in 2008. ARPU increased by 0.8% in 2009 and decreased by 15.5% in 2008. The decrease in average MOUs and the increase in ARPU in 2009 reflect currency effects. Calculated in Dominican pesos, ARPU decreased by 12.7% in 2009. The declines in 2008 primarily reflected promotions and airtime subsidies and a growing proportion of prepaid subscribers, who generate less revenue per line than postpaid subscribers.
Operating income increased by 15.4% in 2009 and decreased by 14.5% in 2008. Operating margin was 27.3% in 2009 and 30.0% in 2008. The increase in operating income and the decrease in operating margin in 2009 reflected principally indirect taxes on network maintenance and operation costs. The decrease in operating income and margin in 2008 reflected principally the growing proportion of our prepaid subscribers, which resulted in increased subscriber acquisition costs, equipment subsidies and customer service expenses.
CaribbeanPuerto Rico and Jamaica
Operating revenues in the Caribbean increased by 14.7% in 2009 and 31.7% in 2008. The increase in 2009 and 2008 reflected principally the appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Mexican peso and organic growth. In 2009, the number of wireless subscribers in Puerto Rico and Jamaica increased by 37.6%, and in 2008, the number of wireless subscribers increased by 14.5%. In 2009, the number of fixed line subscribers decreased by 8.0%, and the number of fixed line subscribers decreased by 9.5% in 2008. In 2009, wireless services accounted for approximately 36.4% of our operating revenues as compared to approximately 33.6% in 2008. Fixed-line and other services accounted for approximately 63.3% of operating revenues in 2009, as compared to 66.4% in 2008.
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Average MOUs increased by 4.9% in 2009 and decreased by 8.4% in 2008. ARPU decreased by 1.0% in 2009 and 10.7% in 2008. Calculated in local currencies, ARPU decreased in 2009 and in 2008. These declines in ARPU primarily reflected the reduction in prices of voice services, principally in Puerto Rico.
Operating income decreased by 77.6% in 2009 and increased by 21.0% in 2008. Operating margin was 2.4% in 2009 and 12.5% in 2008. The decrease in operating income and operating margin in 2009 reflected principally an increase in indirect taxes including two real property taxes that became effective in Puerto Rico in 2009.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Principal Uses of Cash
We generate substantial resources from our operations. On a consolidated basis, operating activities provided Ps. 152,809 million in 2009 and Ps. 87,464 million in 2008. Our cash and cash equivalents amounted to Ps. 27,446 million at December 31, 2009, compared to Ps. 22,092 million as of December 31, 2008. We believe that our working capital is sufficient for our present requirements. We use the cash that we generate from our operations primarily for the following purposes:
| We must make substantial capital expenditures to continue expanding and improving our networks in each country in which we operate. In 2009 and 2008, we invested approximately Ps. 45,395 million and Ps. 57,134 million, respectively, in plant, property and equipment. As of December 31, 2009, we had not disbursed Ps. 24,621 million of our investments in 2008, which will be disbursed in 2010. We have budgeted capital expenditures for 2010 to be approximately U.S.$ 3,500 billion (Ps. 45,815 million). See Capital Expenditures under Item 4. |
| During 2008 we spent approximately Ps. 13,737 million to acquire or renew licenses, principally Ps. 8,830 million to acquire additional spectrum in Brazil, Ps. 3,001 million to renew our concession in Ecuador and Ps. 896 million to acquire a license in Panama. We did not spend any funds in the acquisition or renewal of licenses in 2009. The amount we spend on acquisitions and licenses varies significantly from year to year, depending on acquisition opportunities, concession renewal schedules and needs for more spectrum. |
| In 2008, we had a significant increase in our inventory, as compared to 2007, resulting from an increase in volume and inventory acquisition costs and currency effects. |
| We must pay interest on our indebtedness and repay principal when due. As of December 31, 2009, we had Ps. 9,168 million of principal due in 2010. |
| If we have resources after meeting our obligations and capital expenditure requirements, we may pay dividends, or repurchase our own shares from time to time. We paid Ps. 25,979 million in dividends in 2009 and Ps. 8,904 million in dividends in 2008, and our shareholders have approved the payment of a Ps. 0.32 dividend per share in 2010. Dividends for 2009 included an extraordinary dividend of Ps. 0.50 per share paid on December 2009. We also spent (including commissions and value-added taxes) Ps. 24,706 million repurchasing our own shares in the open market in 2009 and Ps. 41,755 million in 2008. Our shareholders have authorized additional repurchases, and whether we do so will depend on considerations including market price and our other capital requirements. We have made additional repurchases in 2010. |
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The following table summarizes certain contractual liabilities as of December 31, 2009. Our purchase obligations and approximately 51.4% of our debt described below are denominated in U.S. dollars. The table does not include accounts payable or pension liabilities, and amounts set forth in the table do not include interest and do not give effect to hedging transactions.
Payments Due by Period | ||||||||||
Total | Less than 1year |
1-3 years | 4-5 years | After 5 years | ||||||
(in millions) | ||||||||||
Contractual obligations as of December 31, 2009: |
||||||||||
Equipment leases |
Ps. 1,291 | Ps. 716 | Ps. 575 | Ps. | Ps. | |||||
Real estate leases |
20,363 | 4,314 | 7,383 | 5,140 | 3,526 | |||||
Short-term debt(1) |
9,168 | 9,168 | | | | |||||
Long-term debt(1) |
101,741 | | 20,022 | 22,582 | 59,137 | |||||
Purchase obligations(2) |
32,521 | 29,402 | 1,374 | 341 | 1,404 | |||||
Total |
Ps.165,084 | Ps.43,600 | Ps.29,354 | Ps.28,063 | Ps.64,067 | |||||
(1) | Excludes interest payments, as they are set at floating rates. |
(2) | See discussion below. |
Other than the amounts described in the table above, we had no other outstanding material purchase commitments as of December 31, 2009. We enter into a number of supply, advertising and other contracts in the ordinary course of business, but we do not believe that any of those contracts are material to our liquidity.
Under many of our concessions and licenses, we are required to make annual royalty payments in order to continue using such concessions and licenses. These payments are typically calculated as a percentage of gross revenues generated under such concessions and licenses. In the case of the 1900 megahertz spectrum (Band F) concessions in Mexico, however, we are required to pay Ps. 255 million (subject to adjustment for inflation) annually for 20 years in respect of the 10 megahertz acquired during 2005.
We could have opportunities in the future to invest in other telecommunications companies worldwide, primarily in Latin America and the Caribbean, because we believe the telecommunications sector in Latin America will continue to undergo consolidation. For example, we may pursue further market consolidation opportunities in Brazil and Argentina depending on their terms and conditions. We can give no assurance as to the extent, timing or cost of such investments. We may also pursue opportunities in other areas in the world. Some of the assets that we acquire may require significant funding for capital expenditures. See the discussion included earlier in this annual report under OverviewEffects of Recent Acquisitions under this Item 5 for more information about these transactions.
Borrowings
In addition to funds generated from operations, we have used borrowings to fund acquisitions and capital expenditures and refinance debt. We have relied on a combination of equipment financings, borrowings from international banks and borrowings in the Mexican and international capital markets. Beginning in the second half of 2008, with the difficult circumstances in the credit markets, we arranged several equipment financing facilities to further improve our liquidity position. As of the date of this report, we have an aggregate of U.S.$1,297 million in committed undrawn equipment financing facilities from three different sources.
As of December 31, 2009, our total consolidated indebtedness was Ps. 110,909 million, compared to Ps. 143,486 million as of December 31, 2008. Our net debt (total debt minus cash and cash equivalents) at December 31, 2009 decreased by 31.2% as compared to December 31, 2008. This decrease reflects, among other things, our increased capacity for generating cash flow.
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During 2010, we have taken advantage of favorable market conditions to raise a substantial amount of additional funds by issuing debt securities in different markets. In March 2010, we issued three series of peso-denominated notes in the domestic Mexican market, consisting of Ps. 4,600 million in notes maturing in 2015, Ps. 7,000 million in notes maturing in 2020 and Ps. 3,271 million in notes maturing in 2025. Later in March 2010, we issued three series of U.S. dollar-denominated notes in the international market, consisting of U.S.$750 million in notes due 2015, U.S.$2.0 billion in notes due 2010 and U.S.$1.25 billion in notes due 2040. In April 2010, we issued Swiss franc-denominated notes in the domestic Swiss market, consisting of CHF230 million in notes due 2015.
Without taking into account the effects of derivative financial instruments that we use to manage our interest rate and currency risk liabilities, approximately 76.2% of our indebtedness at December 31, 2009 was denominated in currencies other than Mexican pesos (approximately 51.4% in U.S. dollars and 24.8% in other currencies, principally in Colombian and Chilean pesos and euros), and approximately 24.5% of our consolidated debt obligations bore interest at floating rates. Of our total debt at December 31, 2009, Ps. 6,355 million (or 5.7%) was classified as short-term based on the original terms.
Our ability to access the international debt capital markets on the terms described below has been helped by the credit rating given to our debt. As of the date of this annual report, our dollar-denominated senior notes are rated A2 by Moodys Investors Service, BBB+ (positive watch) by Standard and Poors Rating Group and A- by Fitch Ratings. Adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances may, however, cause our ratings to be downgraded. The weighted average cost of all our third-party debt at December 31, 2009 (excluding commissions and reimbursement of certain lenders for Mexican taxes withheld) was approximately 5.8%.
Our major categories of indebtedness at December 31, 2009 are as follows:
| U.S. dollar-denominated senior notes. At December 31, 2009, we had approximately U.S.$3.9 billion (Ps. 51,608 million) outstanding under series of U.S. dollar-denominated senior notes issued in the international capital markets between 2004 and 2009: |
| U.S.$795 million (Ps. 10,381 million) senior notes due 2014, bearing interest at a fixed rate of 5.500%; |
| U.S.$473 million (Ps. 6,181 million) senior notes due 2015, bearing interest at a fixed rate of 5.750%; |
| U.S.$583 million (Ps. 7,615 million) senior notes due 2017, bearing interest at a fixed rate of 5.625%; |
| U.S.$750 million (Ps. 9,794 million) senior notes due 2019, bearing interest a fixed rate of 5.000%; |
| U.S.$981 million (Ps. 12,815 million) senior notes due 2035, bearing interest at a fixed rate of 6.375%; and |
| U.S.$369 million (Ps. 4,822 million) senior notes due 2037, bearing interest at a fixed rate of 6.125%. |
| Mexican-peso denominated senior notes. At December 31, 2009, we had approximately Ps. 12,872 million outstanding under two series of peso-denominated senior notes sold in the international and Mexican capital markets: on October 5, 2005, we issued Ps. 5,000 million in principal amount of 9.0% senior notes due January 2016 and on December 18, 2006 we issued Ps. 8,000 million in principal amount of 8.46% senior notes due 2036. These notes are denominated in Mexican pesos, but all amounts in respect of the notes are payable in U.S. dollars, unless a holder of notes elects to receive payment in Mexican pesos in accordance with certain specified procedures. |
| Mexican peso-denominated domestic senior notes (certificados bursátiles). At December 31, 2009, we had Ps. 13,491 million in domestic senior notes that were sold in the Mexican capital markets. |
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These domestic senior notes were issued by us between 2002 and 2009, and have varying maturities, ranging from 2010 through 2018. Some bear interest at fixed rates, and others at variable rates based on CETES (a rate based on the cost of Mexican treasuries) or TIIE (a Mexican interbank rate). Recent issuances of domestic senior notes include: |
| On April 11, 2007, we issued Ps. 500 million in 5-year floating domestic senior notes. The notes bear interest at a discount of 6 basis points below TIIE, and mature on April 5, 2012; |
| On November 1, 2007, we issued Ps. 2,500 million in 3-year floating domestic senior notes. The notes bear interest at a discount of 10 basis points below TIIE, and mature on October 28, 2010; |
| On November 1, 2007, we issued Ps. 2,000 million in 10-year fixed rate domestic senior notes. The notes bear interest at a rate of 8.39% per annum, and mature on October 19, 2017; |
| On March 7, 2008, we issued Ps. 2,500 million in 10-year fixed rate domestic senior notes. The notes bear interest at a rate of 8.11% per annum, and mature on February 22, 2018; |
| On September 12, 2008, we issued Ps. 3,000 million in 5-year floating domestic senior notes. The notes bear interest at a spread of 55 basis points over CETES, and mature on September 6, 2013; and |
| On September 12, 2008, we issued Ps. 2,100 million in 5-year UDI denominated equivalent fixed rate domestic senior notes. The notes bear interest at a rate of 4.10% per annum and mature on September 6, 2013. |
| Bank loans. At December 31, 2009, we had approximately Ps. 9,226 million outstanding under a number of bank facilities bearing interest principally at fixed and variable rates based on LIBOR. We are also party to a U.S.$2 billion revolving syndicated facility that matures on April 2011. At December 31, 2009, the entire U.S.$2 billion was available for borrowing. Loans under the facility bear interest at LIBOR plus a spread. The syndicated facility limits our ability to incur secured debt, to effect a merger as a result of which the surviving entity would not be América Móvil or Telcel, to sell substantially all of our assets or to sell control of Telcel. The facility does not allow us to impose any restrictions on the ability of Telcel to pay dividends or make distributions to us. In addition, the bank facilities require us to maintain a consolidated ratio of debt to EBITDA not greater than 4.0 to 1.0 and a consolidated ratio of EBITDA to interest expense not less than 2.5 to 1.0. |
| Equipment financing facilities with support from export development agencies. We have a number of equipment financing facilities, under which export development agencies provide support for financing to purchase exports from their respective countries. These facilities are medium- to long-term, with periodic amortization and interest at a spread over LIBOR/EURIBOR. They are extended to us or to operating subsidiaries, with the guarantee of Telcel. The aggregate amount outstanding under equipment financing facilities at December 31, 2009 was U.S.$928 million (Ps. 12,124 million). |
| Sale and leasebacks. Our subsidiaries in Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua and Honduras have entered into sale and leaseback transactions with respect to a portion of its telephone plant. At December 31, 2009, lease payment obligations under these contracts amounted to U.S.$87 million (Ps. 1,133 million). Payments are due on a monthly and three-month basis through 2012 and bear interest at fixed or variable rates plus a spread. |
| Colombian peso-denominated notes. In 2004, Comcel issued Colombian peso-denominated notes that were sold in the Colombian capital markets in three different series. These notes bear interest at a variable rate based on the Colombian consumer price index rate (IPC) plus a spread, and mature in 2010 and 2013. These notes are guaranteed by América Móvil. In 2006, Comcel issued Colombian peso-denominated notes that were sold in the Colombian capital markets. These notes bear interest at a 7.59% fixed rate, and mature on 2016. These notes are not guaranteed by América Móvil. At December 31, 2009, the aggregate principal amount outstanding under these notes was Ps. 5,749 million. |
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All of the public securities issued by América Móvil in international and Mexican capital markets and amounts due under our syndicated loan facility and export credit facilities are guaranteed by Telcel.
At December 31, 2009, Telcel had, on an unconsolidated basis, unsecured and unsubordinated obligations of approximately Ps. 93,908 million (U.S.$7,204 million), excluding debt owed to us or our other subsidiaries. This amount represents outstanding obligations of Telcel under guarantees of parent company and subsidiary indebtedness. In addition, at December 31, 2009, our operating subsidiaries other than Telcel had indebtedness of Ps. 17,001 million (U.S.$1,302 million).
Risk Management
We regularly assess our interest rate and currency exchange exposures in order to determine how to manage the risk associated with these exposures. In Mexico, we have indebtedness denominated in currencies, principally the U.S. dollar, other than the currency of the operating environment. We use derivative financial instruments to adjust the resulting exchange rate exposures. We do not use derivatives to hedge the exchange rate exposures that arise from having operations in different countries. We also use derivative financial instruments from time to time to adjust our exposure to variable interest rates or to reduce our costs of financing. Our practices vary from time to time depending on our judgment of the level of risk, expectations as to exchange or interest rate movements and the costs of using derivative financial instruments. We may stop using derivative financial instruments or modify our practices at any time. As of December 31, 2009, after taking into account derivative transactions, approximately 30.5% of our total debt was denominated in U.S. dollars and approximately 28.5% was subject to floating rates.
As of December 31, 2009, we had the following derivatives positions, with an aggregate fair value of Ps. 8,361 million:
| U.S. dollar-Mexican peso cross currency swaps with a notional amount of U.S.$147 million with respect to our total U.S. dollar-denominated debt. Under these swaps, we have replaced our obligation to make payment in U.S. dollars with an obligation to make payment in Mexican pesos; |
| U.S. dollar-Mexican peso forwards for a total notional amount of U.S.$1,965 million to hedge our exposure to our U.S. dollar denominated debt; |
| Euro-Mexican peso cross currency swap with a notional amount of EUR 82 million with respect to our total Euro-denominated debt. Under this swap we replaced our obligation to make payment in Euros with an obligation to make payment in Mexican pesos; |
| Euro-U.S. dollar cross currency swaps with a notional amount of EUR 143 million with respect to our total Euro-denominated debt. Under this swap we replaced our obligation to make payment in Euros with an obligation to make payment in U.S. dollars; and |
| A Japanese Yen-U.S. dollar denominated cross-currency swap with a notional amount of Yen¥13,000 million with respect to our total Japanese-Yen denominated debt. Under this swap, we replaced our obligation to make payment in Japanese Yen with an obligation to make payment in U.S. dollars. |
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of December 31, 2009, we had no off-balance sheet arrangements that require disclosure under applicable SEC regulations.
U.S. GAAP Reconciliation
We had net income under U.S. GAAP of Ps. 74,360 million in 2009 Ps. 54,252 million in 2008 and Ps. 55,529 million in 2007. Compared to Mexican FRS, net income under U.S. GAAP was approximately 3.4% lower in 2009, 8.9% lower in 2008 and 5.4% lower in 2007.
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There are several differences between Mexican FRS and U.S. GAAP that affect our net income and equity. The most significant difference in their effect on 2009 net income related to the depreciation resulting from the restatement of the carrying value of property, plant and equipment to reflect the effects of inflation up to December 31, 2007. Under Mexican FRS through December 31, 2007, in order to reflect the effects of inflation on our imported telephone plant and equipment, we restated its value based on the rate of inflation in the respective country of origin and the prevailing exchange rate at the balance sheet date. The use of this method, which is known as the specific indexation method, is not permitted under U.S. GAAP, and as a result, for purposes of U.S. GAAP, we restated non-monetary assets based on the Mexican National Consumer Price Index as of December 31, 2007. For a discussion of the principal differences between Mexican FRS and U.S. GAAP, see Note 21 to our audited consolidated financial statements.
Use of Estimates in Certain Accounting Policies
In preparing our financial statements, we make estimates concerning a variety of matters. Some of these matters are highly uncertain, and our estimates involve judgments we make based on the information available to us. In the discussion below, we have identified several of these matters for which our financial presentation would be materially affected if either (1) we used different estimates that we could reasonably have used or (2) in the future we change our estimates in response to changes that are reasonably likely to occur.
The discussion addresses only those estimates that we consider most important based on the degree of uncertainty and the likelihood of a material impact if we used a different estimate. There are many other areas in which we use estimates about uncertain matters, but the reasonably likely effect of changed or different estimates is not material to our financial presentation.
Purchase accountingpurchase price allocation
During 2008 and 2007, we made a number of business acquisitions applying the purchase method of accounting. Accounting for the acquisition of a business under the purchase method requires the allocation of the purchase price to the various assets and liabilities of the acquired business. For most assets and liabilities, purchase price allocation is accomplished by recording the asset or liability at its estimated fair value. The most difficult estimations of individual fair values are those involving properties, plant and equipment and identifiable intangible assets, such as our licenses and trademarks. We use all available information to make these fair value determinations, including the retention of appraisers to determine the fair value of property and equipment, trademarks and an examination of the market value of licenses with similar characteristics to determine the fair value of licenses.
Estimated useful lives of plant, property and equipment
We estimate the useful lives of particular classes of plant, property and equipment in order to determine the amount of depreciation expense to be recorded in each period. Depreciation expense is a significant element of our costs and expenses, amounting in 2009 to Ps. 42,953 million, or 10.9% of our operating costs and expenses. See Note 7 to our audited consolidated financial statements.
We currently depreciate most of our telephone plant and equipment based on an estimated useful life determined upon the expected particular conditions of operations and maintenance in each of the countries in which we operate. The estimates are based on our historical experience with similar assets, anticipated technological changes and other factors, taking into account the practices of other telecommunications companies. We review estimated useful lives each year to determine whether they should be changed, and at times, we have changed them for particular classes of assets. We may shorten the estimated useful life of an asset class in response to technological changes, changes in the market or other developments. This results in increased depreciation expense. For example, during 2007, we shortened the useful life of TDMA and GSM equipment, particularly in Colombia and Brazil, to reflect the expected migration of customers to newer technologies. This
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change resulted in an increase in our depreciation expense for 2007 of Ps. 5,796 million. In 2009, we recorded a depreciation expense of Ps. 4,462 million resulting from the shortening of the useful lives of certain GSM assets in Brazil. See Note 7 to our audited consolidated financial statements.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Intangibles and Goodwill
We have large amounts of long-lived assets on our balance sheet. Under Mexican FRS and U.S. GAAP, we are required to test long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable for plant, property and equipment and licenses and trademarks. Impairment testing for goodwill is required to be performed on an annual basis. To estimate the fair value of long-lived assets, we typically make various assumptions about the future prospects for the business to which the asset relates, consider market factors specific to that business and estimate future cash flows to be generated by that business. Based on these assumptions and estimates as well as guidance provided by Mexican FRS and U.S. GAAP relating to the impairment of long-lived assets, we determine whether we need to take an impairment charge to reduce the net carrying value of the asset as stated on our balance sheet to reflect its estimated fair value. Assumptions and estimates about future values and remaining useful lives are complex and often subjective. They can be affected by a variety of factors, including external factors, such as industry and economic trends, and internal factors, such as changes in our business strategy and our internal forecasts. Different assumptions and estimates could materially impact our reported financial results. More conservative assumptions of the anticipated future benefits from these businesses could result in impairment charges, which would decrease net income and result in lower asset values on our balance sheet. Conversely, less conservative assumptions could result in smaller or no impairment charges, higher net income and higher asset values.
In 2008, we recognized an impairment in the value of goodwill of Ps. 527 million, an impairment in the value of our plants, property and equipment of Ps. 113 million and an impairment in the value of our licenses of Ps. 99 million. During 2009, we did not recognize any impairment of long-lived assets or goodwill.
Deferred Taxes
We are required to estimate our income taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. This process involves the jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction estimation of actual current tax exposure and the assessment of temporary differences resulting from the differing treatment of certain items, such as accruals and amortization, for tax and financial reporting purposes, as well as net operating loss carry forwards and other tax credits. These items result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which are included in our consolidated balance sheets. We must assess in the course of our tax planning procedures the fiscal year of the reversal of our deferred tax assets and liabilities, and if there will be future taxable profits in those periods to support the recognition of the deferred tax assets. Significant management judgment is required in determining our provisions for income taxes, deferred tax assets and liabilities. The analysis is based on estimates of taxable income in the jurisdictions in which the group operates and the period over which the deferred tax assets and liabilities will be recoverable or settled. If actual results differ from these estimates, or we adjust these estimates in future periods, our financial position and results of operations may be materially affected.
We record a valuation allowance to reduce the deferred tax assets to an amount that we believe is more likely than not to be realized. In assessing the need for the valuation allowance, we considered future taxable income and ongoing tax planning strategies. In the event that our estimates of projected future taxable income and benefits from tax planning strategies are lowered, or changes in current tax regulations are enacted that would impose restrictions on the timing or extent of our ability to utilize the tax benefits of net operating loss carry-forwards in the future, an adjustment to the recorded amount of net deferred tax assets would be made, with a related charge to income.
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Accruals
Accruals are recorded when, at the end of the period, we have a present obligation as a result of past events, whose settlement requires an outflow of resources that is considered probable and can be measured reliably. This obligation may be legal or constructive, arising from, but not limited to, regulation, contracts, common practice or public commitments, which have created a valid expectation for third parties that we will assume certain responsibilities. The amount recorded is the best estimation performed by our management in respect of the expenditure that will be required to settle the obligations, considering all the information available at the date of our financial statements, including the opinion of external experts, such as legal advisors or consultants. Accruals are adjusted to account for changes in circumstances for ongoing matters and the establishment of additional accruals for new matters.
If we are unable to reliably measure the obligation, no accrual is recorded and information is then presented in the notes to our consolidated financial statements.
Because of the inherent uncertainties in this estimation, actual expenditures may be different from the originally estimated amount recognized.
Labor Obligations
We recognize liabilities on our balance sheet and expenses in our income statement to reflect our obligations related to our post-retirement seniority premiums, pension and retirement plans in the countries in which we operate and offer defined contribution and benefit pension plans. The amounts we recognize are determined on an actuarial basis that involves many estimates and accounts for post-retirement and termination benefits in accordance with Mexican FRS and U.S. GAAP.
We use estimates in four specific areas that have a significant effect on these amounts: (a) the rate of return we assume our pension plan will achieve on its investments, (b) the rate of increase in salaries that we assume we will observe in future years, (c) the discount rates that we use to calculate the present value of our future obligations and (d) the expected rate of inflation. The assumptions we have applied are identified in Note 11 (Mexican FRS) and Note 21 (U.S. GAAP) to our audited consolidated financial statements. These estimates are determined based on actuarial studies performed by independent experts using the projected unit-credit method. The latest actuarial computation was prepared as of December 2009. We review the estimates each year, and if we change them, our reported expense for pension costs may increase or decrease according to market conditions.
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
We maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the failure of our customers, distributors and cellular operators to make required payments. We base these estimates on the individual conditions of each of the markets in which we operate that may impact the collectibility of accounts. In particular, in making these estimates we take into account (i) with respect to accounts with customers, the number of days since the calls where made, (ii) with respect to accounts with distributors, the number of days invoices are overdue and (iii) with respect to accounts with cellular operators, both the number of days since the calls where made and any disputes with respect to such calls. The amount of loss, if any, that we actually experience with respect to these accounts may differ from the amount of the allowance maintained in connection with them.
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Item 6. | Directors, Senior Management and Employees |
Directors
Our Board of Directors has broad authority to manage our company. The Board of Directors is supported by our committees, especially by our Audit and Corporate Practices Committee, which is comprised by independent members. In particular, the Board of Directors must approve prior opinions of the competent committee, among others:
| our non-ordinary course transactions with related parties; |
| the use and disposition of the companys assets; |
| certain material transactions such as (a) transactions not in the ordinary course of business, (b) transactions representing an investment greater than 5% of the companys assets on a consolidated basis and (c) transactions involving guarantees or the incurrence of financial obligations for more than 5% of the companys assets on a consolidated basis; |
| executive and director compensation; |
| appoint and discharge our chief executive officer; and |
| waivers for board members, executives and other persons with influence on the company, to benefit from business opportunities pertaining to the company. |
The company must publicly disclose any case in which the resolution of the board differs from the opinion of the committee regarding any of these matters.
Additionally, in the event that a person or group of persons intend to acquire an amount of shares equal or exceeding 10% of our voting stock, our Board of Directors authorization is required. In the event that our Board of Directors rejects the relevant authorization, it shall appoint a substitute acquirer.
Our bylaws provide for the Board of Directors to consist of between five and twenty one directors and allow for the appointment of an equal number of alternate directors. Directors need not be shareholders. A majority of our directors and a majority of the alternate directors must be Mexican citizens and elected by Mexican shareholders. A majority of the holders of the AA Shares and A Shares voting together elect a majority of the directors and alternate directors, provided that any holder or group of holders of at least 10% of the total AA Shares and A Shares is entitled to name one director and an alternate director. Two directors and two alternate directors, if any, are elected by a majority vote of the holders of L Shares. Each alternate director may attend meetings of the Board of Directors and vote in the absence of a corresponding director. Directors and alternate directors are elected or ratified at each annual general meeting of shareholders and each annual ordinary special meeting of holders of L Shares, and each serves until a successor is elected and takes office. In accordance with the Mexican Securities Market Law (Ley del Mercado de Valores, or the Mexican Securities Market Law), shareholders are required to make a determination as to the independence of our directors, though the CNBV may challenge this determination. Pursuant to our bylaws and the Mexican Securities Market Law, at least 25% of our directors must be independent. In order to have a quorum for a meeting of the Board of Directors, a majority of those present must be Mexican nationals.
All of the current members of the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, the Audit and Corporate Practices Committee, and the Operations in Puerto Rico and the United States of America Committee, as well as the Corporate Secretary and the Corporate Pro-Secretary, were elected or ratified at the annual general shareholders meeting held on April 7, 2010, with eight directors elected by the AA Shares and A Shares voting together and two directors elected by the L Shares. No alternate directors were appointed.
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Our bylaws provide that the members of the Board of Directors are appointed for terms of one year. Pursuant to Mexican law, members of the Board continue in their positions after the expiration of their terms for up to an additional 30 day period if new members are not appointed. Furthermore, in certain circumstances provided under the Mexican Securities Law, the Board of Directors may appoint temporary directors who then may be ratified or substituted by the shareholders meetings. The names and positions of the members of the Board elected and ratified at the annual general shareholders meeting held on April 7, 2010, their year of birth, and information concerning their committee membership and principal business activities outside América Móvil are as follows:
Directors elected by holders of Series AA and Series A Shares: | ||||
Patrick Slim Domit |
Born: | 1969 | ||
Chairman and Member of the Executive Committee and the Operations in Puerto Rico and the United States of America Committee |
First elected: Term expires: |
2004 2011 Director of Grupo Carso, S.A.B. de C.V., Impulsora del Desarrollo y el Empleo en América Latina, S.A.B. de C.V. and Carso Global Telecom, S.A.B. de C.V. and Alternate Director of Telmex | ||
Business experience: | Chief Executive Officer of Grupo Carso, S.A.B. de C.V. and Vice President of Commercial Markets of Telmex | |||
Daniel Hajj Aboumrad |
Born: | 1966 | ||
Director and Member of the Executive Committee and the Operations in Puerto Rico and the United States of America Committee |
First elected: Term expires: Principal occupation: |
2000 2011 Chief Executive Officer of América Móvil | ||
Other directorships: | Director of Grupo Carso, S.A.B. de C.V., and Alternate Director of Carso Global Telecom S.A.B. de C.V. | |||
Business experience: | Chief Executive Officer of Hulera Euzkadi, S.A. de C.V. | |||
Alejandro Soberón Kuri |
Born: | 1960 | ||
Director, Chairman of the Audit and Corporate Practices Committee and Member of the Operations in Puerto Rico and the United States of America Committee |
First elected: Term expires: Principal occupation: |
2000 2011 Chief Executive Officer of Corporación Interamericana de Entretenimiento, S.A.B. de C.V. | ||
Other directorships: | Chairman of Corporación Interamericana de Entretenimiento, S.A.B. de C.V. | |||
Carlos Bremer Gutiérrez |
Born: | 1960 | ||
Director and Member of the Audit and Corporate Practices Committee and the Operations in Puerto Rico and the United States of America Committee |
First elected: Term expires:
Other directorships:
Business experience: |
2004 2011
Director of Value Grupo Financiero, S.A.B. de C.V.
Chief Operating Officer of Abaco Casa de Bolsa, S.A. de C.V. |
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Rayford Wilkins |
Born: | 1951 | ||
Director and Member of the Executive Committee |
First elected: Term expires: Principal occupation: |
2005 2011 Chief Executive Officer of the AT&T Diversified Businesses Division | ||
Other directorships: | Director of Telmex Internacional | |||
Business experience: | Various positions in the wireless industry at SBC Group | |||
Mike Viola |
Born: | 1954 | ||
Director |
First elected: Term expires: |
2009 2011 | ||
Principal occupation: | Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance AT&T, Inc. | |||
Other directorships: | Director of Telmex | |||
Ernesto Vega Velasco |
Born: | 1937 | ||
Director and Member of the Audit and Corporate Practices Committee and the Operations in Puerto Rico and the United States of America Committee |
First elected: Term expires: Principal occupation |
2007 2011 In retirement. Member of the board of directors and audit, planning and finance and evaluation and compensation committees of certain companies | ||
Other directorships: | Chairman of Wal-Mart de México, S.A.B. de C.V. and Director of Kuo, S.A.B. de C.V., Dine, S.A.B. de C.V. and Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, S.A.B. de C.V., and Alternate Director of Industrias Peñoles, S.A.B. de C.V. | |||
Business experience: | Since 1971, various positions in the Desc group, where he was eventually appointed Corporate Vice-president | |||
Santiago Cosío Pando |
Born: | 1973 | ||
Director and Member of the Operations in Puerto Rico and the United States of America Committee |
First elected: Term expires: Principal occupation: |
2008 2011 President of Grupo Pando, S.A. de C.V. | ||
Business experience: | Various positions in Grupo Pando, S.A. de C.V. | |||
Directors elected by holders of Series L Shares: | ||||
Pablo Roberto González Guajardo |
Born: | 1967 | ||
Director and Member of the Audit and Corporate Practices Committee and the Operations in Puerto Rico and the United States of America Committee |
First elected: Term expires: Principal occupation: |
2007 2011 Chief Executive Officer of Kimberly Clark de Mexico, S.A.B. de C.V. | ||
Other directorships: | Member of the Board of Directors of Corporación Scribe, S.A.P.I. de C.V. and Alternate Director of Kimberly Clark de Mexico, S.A.B. de C.V. | |||
Business experience: | Various positions in the Kimberly Clark Corporation and Kimberly Clark de México, S.A.B. de C.V. |
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David Ibarra Muñoz |
Born: | 1930 | ||
Director and Member of the Operations in Puerto Rico and the United States of America Committee |
First elected: Term expires:
Other directorships: |
2000 2011
Director of Grupo Financiero Inbursa, S.A.B. de C.V. and Impulsora del Desarrollo y el Empleo en América Latina, S.A.B. de C.V., and Alternate Director of Grupo Carso, S.A.B. de C.V. | ||
Business experience: | Chief Executive Officer of Nacional Financiera, S.N.C., served in the Mexican Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público) |
Alejandro Cantú Jiménez, our General Counsel, serves as Corporate Secretary and Rafael Robles Miaja as Corporate Pro-Secretary.
Daniel Hajj Aboumrad is the son-in-law of Carlos Slim Helú and brother-in-law of Patrick Slim Domit. Patrick Slim Domit is the son of Carlos Slim Helú.
Executive Committee
Our bylaws provide that the Executive Committee may generally exercise the powers of the Board of Directors, with certain exceptions. In addition, the Board of Directors is required to consult the Executive Committee before deciding on certain matters set forth in the bylaws, and the Executive Committee must provide its views within ten calendar days following a request from the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer or the Chairman of the Board of Directors. If the Executive Committee is unable to make a recommendation within ten calendar days or if a majority of the Board of Directors or any other corporate body duly acting within its mandate determines in good faith that action cannot be deferred until the Executive Committee makes a recommendation, the Board of Directors is authorized to act without such recommendation. The Executive Committee may not delegate its powers to special delegates or attorneys-in-fact.
The Executive Committee is elected from among the directors and alternate directors by a majority vote of the holders of common shares (AA Shares and A Shares). The Executive Committee is currently comprised of three members. The majority of its members must be Mexican citizens and elected by Mexican shareholders. Two members of the Executive Committee are named by our Mexican controlling shareholders and one member by AT&T, Inc. (formerly SBC International, Inc.). See Major Shareholders under Item 7. The current members of the Executive Committee are Messrs. Patrick Slim Domit and Daniel Hajj Aboumrad, named by the Mexican controlling shareholders, and Mr. Rayford Wilkins, named by AT&T.
Audit and Corporate Practices Committee
The Audit and Corporate Practices Committee consists of Messrs. Alejandro Soberón Kuri, Chairman, Ernesto Vega Velasco, Pablo Roberto González Guajardo and Carlos Bremer Gutiérrez. The mandate of the Audit and Corporate Practices Committee is to assist our Board of Directors in overseeing our operations, establish and monitor procedures and controls in order to ensure that the financial information we distribute is useful, appropriate and reliable and accurately reflects our financial position. In particular, the Audit and Corporate Practices Committee is required to, among other things:
| provide opinions to the Board of Directors on certain matters as provided by the Mexican Securities Market Law; |
| call shareholders meetings and recommend inclusion of matters it deems appropriate on the agenda; |
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| inform the Board of Directors of our internal controls and their adequacy; |
| select our auditors, review the scope and terms of their engagement, and determine their compensation; |
| monitor the performance of our auditors and re-evaluate the terms of their engagement; |
| recommend procedures for preparing financial statements and internal controls; |
| monitor internal controls and accounting for specified types of matters; |
| propose procedures for the preparation of financial statements for internal use that are consistent with the published financial statements; |
| assist the Board of Directors in preparing reports provided by the Mexican Securities Market Law; |
| discuss with the auditors the annual financial statements and the accounting principles being applied in the annual and the interim financial statements and based on such discussions, recommend their approval to the Board of Directors; |
| resolve disagreements between our management and auditors relating to our financial statements; |
| request the opinion of independent experts, when deemed appropriate or when required by law; |
| approve services to be provided by our auditors, or establish policies and procedures for the pre-approval of services by our auditors; |
| obtain from our auditors an audit report that includes a discussion of critical accounting policies used by the Company, any alternative treatments within generally accepted accounting principles for material items that have been discussed by management with our auditor, and any other written communications between our auditors and management; |
| report to the Board of Directors on its activities; |
| develop procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints regarding accounting, internal controls or auditing matters, including for the confidential submission of concerns regarding such matters by employees; |
| evaluate the performance of the external auditors; |
| review and discuss the financial statements of the company and advise the board of directors of the committees recommendations for approval of such financial statements; |
| receive and analyze recommendations and observations to its functions from shareholders, members of the board of directors and senior management, and the authority to act upon such recommendations and observations; |
| recommend to the Board of Directors procedures for the selection and succession of our chief executive officer and our principal executives; |
| propose criteria for evaluating executive performance; |
| analyze the proposals of the chief executive officer concerning the structure and amount of compensation for our senior executive and raise them with the Board of Directors; |
| review new executive compensation programs and the operations of existing programs; |
| establish contracting practices to avoid excessive payments to executives; |
| assist the Board of Directors in developing appropriate personnel policies; |
| participate with the Board of Directors in developing a plan for employees to invest in our L Shares and review the implementation of such plan; and |
| perform any other functions the Board of Directors may delegate to the Audit and Corporate Practices Committee. |
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In addition, pursuant to our bylaws, the Audit and Corporate Practices Committee is in charge of our corporate governance functions under the Mexican securities laws and regulations and is required to submit an annual report to the Board of Directors with respect to our corporate and audit practices. The Audit and Corporate Practices Committee shall request opinions of our executive officers for purposes of preparing the annual report. The Board of Directors must seek the opinion of the Audit and Corporate Practices Committee regarding any transaction with a related party that is outside the ordinary course of our business as defined under the Mexican Securities Market Law. Each member of the Audit and Corporate Practices Committee is independent, as independence is determined by our shareholders pursuant to the Mexican Securities Market Law and as defined under Rule 10A-3 of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Act of 1934.
External Auditor
Our external auditor is Mancera, S.C., a member practice of Ernst & Young Global, an independent registered public accounting firm. Pursuant to our bylaws, the external auditor is required to issue a report in connection with our financial statements. The external auditor may be called to participate in meetings of our Board of Directors and may be in attendance at our shareholders meetings. However, the external auditor shall have no vote and shall not engage in any discussion which may affect his independent status or may create a conflict of interest. The external auditor is responsible for the preparation of the audit report (dictamen) of our financial statements. The auditing firm is selected by the Board of Directors based on the opinion of the Audit and Corporate Practices Committee.
Operations in Puerto Rico and the United States of America Committee
The Operations in Puerto Rico and the United States of America Committee consists of Messrs. Patrick Slim Domit, Daniel Hajj Aboumrad, Ernesto Vega Velasco, Pablo Roberto Gonzalez Guajardo, David Ibarra Muñoz, Alejandro Soberón Kuri, Carlos Bremer Gutiérrez and Santiago Cosío Pando. The mandate of the Operations in Puerto Rico and the United States of America Committee is to act in the name and on behalf of the Companys Board of Directors in respect of the Companys Puerto Rican subsidiary, Telecomunicaciones de Puerto Rico, Inc. (including its subsidiaries); and the Companys U.S. subsidiary Tracfone Wireless, Inc. (including its subsidiaries). To perform this function, the Committee may rely on the internal structures of the Company and its subsidiaries.
Senior Management
The names, responsibilities and prior business experience of our senior officers are as follows:
Daniel Hajj Aboumrad |
Appointed: | 2000 | ||
Chief Executive Officer |
Business experience: | Director of Telmexs Mexican subsidiaries, Chief Executive Officer of Companía Hulera Euzkadi, S.A. de C.V. | ||
Carlos José García Moreno Elizondo |
Appointed: | 2001 | ||
Chief Financial Officer |
Business experience: | General Director of Public Credit at the Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público, Managing Director of UBS Warburg, Associate Director of financing at Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) | ||
Carlos Cárdenas Blásquez |
Appointed: | 2000 | ||
Latin American Operations |
Business experience: | Various positions at Telmex, including Operating Manager for the paging service company Buscatel, S.A. de C.V. and Vice-President of operations for Telmex USA, Manager at Grupo Financiero Inbursa, S.A.B. de C.V. | ||
Alejandro Cantú Jiménez |
Appointed: | 2001 | ||
General Counsel |
Business experience: | Mijares, Angoitia, Cortés y Fuentes, S.C. |
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Chief Executive Officer
Under our bylaws, the chief executive officer is entrusted with the performance, conduct and execution of our day-to-day business activities. The chief executive officer is responsible for recommending our internal control and internal audit guidelines and presenting business strategies for the approval of the Board of Directors. The chief executive officer is also required to present an annual report to the Board of Directors discussing, among other things:
| the operations of the Company in the relevant year, as well as the policies followed and, if applicable, the principal pending projects; |
| the financial condition of the Company; |
| the recent results of the Company; and |
| the changes in the Companys financial condition. |
Compensation of Directors and Senior Management
The aggregate compensation paid to our directors (including compensation paid to members of our Audit and Corporate Practices Committee) and senior management in 2009 was approximately Ps. 2.5 million and Ps. 33.2 million, respectively. None of our directors is a party to any contract with us or any of our subsidiaries that provides for benefits upon termination of employment. We do not provide pension, retirement or similar benefits to our directors in their capacity as directors. Our executive officers are eligible for retirement and severance benefits required by Mexican law on the same terms as all other employees, and we do not separately set aside, accrue or determine the amount of our costs that is attributable to executive officers.
Share Ownership
According to beneficial ownership reports filed with the SEC on March 1, 2010, Carlos Slim Helú holds 433 million (or 3.7%) of our outstanding AA Shares and 264 million (or 1.3%) of our outstanding L Shares directly, and his son and chairman of our Board of Directors, Patrick Slim Domit, holds 444 million (or 3.8%) of our AA Shares and 516 million (or 2.6%) of our L Shares directly. In addition, according to beneficial ownership reports filed with the SEC, Carlos Slim Helú, together with his sons and daughters, including Patrick Slim Domit, may be deemed to control us through their beneficial ownership held by a trust and another entity and their direct ownership of shares. See Major Shareholders under Item 7 and BylawsShare Capital under Item 8.
Except as described above, according to the ownership reports of shares or other securities or rights in our shares prepared by our directors and members of senior management and provided to us, none of our directors or executive officers is the beneficial owner of more than 1% of any class of our capital stock. Directors and members of senior management are requested to provide ownership information of Company shares or other securities or rights in our shares on a yearly basis.
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The following table sets forth the number of employees and a breakdown of employees by main category of activity and geographic location as of the end of each year in the three-year period ended December 31, 2009:
December 31, | ||||||
2007 | 2008 | 2009 | ||||
Number of employees |
49,091 | 52,879 | 53,661 | |||
Category of activity: |
||||||
Wireless |
36,389 | 41,365 | 42,968 | |||
Fixed |
12,702 | 11,514 | 10,693 | |||
Geographic location: |
||||||
Mexico |
14,360 | 16,526 | 17,347 | |||
South America |
18,496 | 20,360 | 21,133 | |||
Central America |
7,874 | 7,869 | 7,384 | |||
Caribbean |
7,823 | 7,530 | 7,163 | |||
United States |
538 | 594 | 634 |
As of December 31, 2009, the Progressive Union of Communication and Transport Workers of the Mexican Republic (Sindicato Progresista de Trabajadores de Comunicaciones y Transportes de la República Mexicana) represented approximately 87.1% of the employees of Telcel. All management positions at Telcel are held by non-union employees. Salaries and certain benefits are renegotiated every year. In March 2010, Telcel and the union agreed to a 4.8% nominal increase in basic wages.
Under our labor agreements and Mexican labor law, we are obligated to pay seniority premiums to retiring employees and pension and death benefits to retired employees. Retirees will be entitled to receive pension increases whenever salary increases are granted to current employees.
Some of our foreign subsidiaries, including our Brazilian subsidiaries, Telgua, ENITEL, CTE, Claro Chile, AMX Argentina and TELPRI, also have active employee unions.
We believe that we have good current relations with our workforce.
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Item 7. | Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions |
The following table sets forth our capital structure as of April 30, 2010:
Series |
Number of Shares (millions) |
Percent of Capital |
Combined A Shares and AA Shares(*) |
|||||
L Shares (no par value) |
19,952 | 62.1 | % | | ||||
AA Shares (no par value) |
11,712 | 36.5 | % | 96.3 | % | |||
A Shares (no par value) |
445 | 1.4 | % | 3.7 | % | |||
Total |
32,109 | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | |||
(*) | The AA Shares and A Shares of AMX are entitled to elect together a majority of our directors. Percentage figures for each shareholder are based on the number of shares outstanding as of the date of its most recently filed beneficial ownership report. |
According to reports of beneficial ownership of our shares filed with the SEC on March 1, 2010, Carlos Slim Helú, together with his sons and daughters (together, the Slim Family), may be deemed to control us through their beneficial ownership held by a trust and another entity and their direct ownership of shares.
Our former controlling shareholder, Amtel, and AT&T Inc., as successors of Carso Global Telecom and SBC International, Inc., respectively, were parties to an agreement relating to their ownership of AA Shares. Among other things, the agreement subjects certain transfers of AA Shares by either party to a right of first offer in favor of the other party, although the right of first offer does not apply to the conversion of AA Shares to L Shares, as permitted by our bylaws, or the subsequent transfer of L Shares. The agreement also provides for the composition of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee and for each party to enter into a Management Services Agreement with us. According to reports of beneficial ownership of our shares filed with the SEC on May 4, 2007 the Slim Family and a Mexican trust that holds AA Shares for the benefit of the Slim Family (the Control Trust) expect to enter into amendments of the agreement with AT&T pursuant to which the Slim Family and the Control Trust will act as successor to Amtel (except that we do not expect to enter into a Management Services Agreement with the Control Trust or the Slim Family). According to reports of beneficial ownership filed with the SEC, the Slim Family may be deemed to control us through their beneficial ownership of shares held by the Control Trust and Inmobiliaria Carso and their direct ownership of shares. See Directors and Executive Committee under Item 6 and Related Party Transactions under this item 7.
The following table identifies each owner of more than 5% of any series of our shares as of April 30, 2010. Except as described in the table below and the accompanying notes, we are not aware of any holder of more than 5% of any series of our shares. Figures below do not include the total number of L Shares that would be held by each shareholder upon conversion of the maximum number of AA Shares or A Shares, as provided for under our bylaws. See BylawsShare Capital under Item 10. Holders of five percent or more of any class of our shares have the same voting rights with respect to their shares as do holders of less than five percent of the same class.
AA Shares | A Shares | L Shares | Combined A Shares and AA Shares(*) |
|||||||||||||||
Shareholder |
Shares Owned (millions) |
Percent of Class |
Shares Owned (millions) |
Percent of Class |
Shares Owned (millions) |
Percent of Class |
||||||||||||
Control Trust(1) |
5,447 | 46.5 | % | | | % | | | % | 44.8 | % | |||||||
AT&T Inc.(2) |
2,869 | 24.5 | % | | | | | 23.6 | % | |||||||||
Inmobiliaria Carso(3) |
696 | 5.9 | % | | | | | 5.7 | % |
(*) | The AA Shares and A Shares of AMX are entitled to elect together a majority of our directors. Percentage figures for each shareholder are based on the number of shares outstanding as of the date of its most recently filed beneficial ownership report. |
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(1) | Based on beneficial ownership reports filed with the SEC on March 1, 2010, the Control Trust is a Mexican trust which directly holds AA Shares for the benefit of the members of the Slim Family. Members of the Slim Family, including Carlos Slim Helú, directly own an aggregate of 1,779,218,535 AA Shares and 2,469,735,195 L Shares representing 15.19% and 12.37%, respectively, of each series and 14.63% of the combined A Shares and AA Shares. According to such reports, none of these members of the Slim Family individually directly own more than 5% of any of our shares. According to reports of beneficial ownership of shares filed with the SEC on March 1, 2010 the Slim Family may be deemed to control us through their beneficial ownership of shares held by the Control Trust and Inmobiliaria Carso and their direct ownership of shares. Percentage figures are based on the number of shares outstanding as of the date of the most recently filed beneficial ownership report. |
(2) | Based on beneficial ownership reports filed with the SEC on April 30, 2010. In accordance with Mexican law and our bylaws, AT&T holds its AA Shares through a Mexican trust. See BylawsLimitations on Share Ownership under Item 10. Percentage figures are based on the number of shares outstanding as of the date of the most recently filed beneficial ownership report. |
(3) | Inmobiliaria Carso, S.A. de C.V. is a sociedad anónima de capital variable organized under the laws of Mexico. Inmobiliaria Carso is a real estate holding company. The Slim Family beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, a majority of the outstanding voting equity securities of Inmobiliaria Carso. The Slim Family may be deemed to control us through their beneficial ownership held by the Control Trust and Inmobiliaria Carso and their direct ownership of shares. Percentage figures are based on the number of shares outstanding as of the date of the most recently filed beneficial ownership report. |
As of April 30, 2010, 56.5% of the outstanding L Shares were represented by L Share ADSs, each representing the right to receive 20 L Shares, and 99.2% of the L Share ADSs were held by 10,791 registered holders with addresses in the United States. As of such date, 31.7% of the A Shares were held in the form of A Share ADSs, each representing the right to receive 20 A Shares, and 99.4% of the A Share ADSs were held by 5,328 registered holders with addresses in the United States. Each A Share may be exchanged at the option of the holder for one L Share.
We have no information concerning holders with registered addresses in the United States that hold:
| AA Shares; |
| A Shares not represented by ADSs; or |
| L Shares not represented by ADSs. |
We may repurchase our shares on the Mexican Stock Exchange from time to time up to a specified maximum aggregate value authorized by the holders of AA Shares and A Shares. As of December 31, 2009, we had been authorized by our shareholders to repurchase shares with an aggregate value of up to Ps. 125,000 million, and to date during 2010 we have been authorized to repurchase an additional Ps. 50,000 million. As of April 30, 2010, we had repurchased 9,223 million L Shares and 35 million A Shares, with an aggregate value of approximately Ps. 119,065 million (not including applicable commissions and taxes).
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Transactions with Telmex, Telmex Internacional and subsidiaries
We have, and expect to continue to have, a variety of contractual relationships with Telmex, Telmex Internacional and their subsidiaries, including some of their international subsidiaries.
According to beneficial ownership reports filed with the SEC, Telmex and Telmex Internacional may be deemed to be under common control with us.
Continuing Commercial Relationships
Because both we, on the one hand, and Telmex or Telmex Internacional, on the other hard, provide telecommunications services in some of the same geographical markets, we have extensive operational relationships. These relationships include interconnection between their respective networks; use of facilities, particularly for the co-location of equipment on premises owned by Telmex; use of their private circuits; the provision of long distance services to our customers; and use by each of the services provided by the other. These relationships are subject to a variety of different agreements, and the most significant of these relationships are between Telcel and Telmex in Mexico and between our Brazilian subsidiaries and Embratel, a subsidiary of Telmex Internacional that provides fixed-line telecommunication services, in Brazil. Many of them are also subject to specific regulations governing telecommunications services. The terms of these agreements are generally similar to those on which each company does business with unaffiliated parties.
These operational relationships are material to our financial performance. In 2009, Ps. 18,070 million of our total operating revenues were attributable to interconnection with Telmex and its subsidiaries, primarily representing payments under the calling party pays system arising from fixed-to-mobile calls. We had Ps. 274,481 million in accounts receivable from Telmex and certain of its subsidiaries. We had Ps. 25,628 million in accounts receivable from Telmex Internacional and certain of its subsidiaries, and accounts payable of Ps. 615,804 million to Telmex Internacional and certain of its subsidiaries at December 31, 2009. Also in 2009, Ps. 7,218 million of our cost of services was attributable to payments to Telmex and its subsidiaries, primarily representing interconnection payments for long-distance calls carried by Telmex or its subsidiaries and use of facilities under leases and collocation agreements with Telmex or its subsidiaries.
In the ordinary course of business, our subsidiaries in Brazil lease real property from Embratel. The aggregate amount of consideration paid for these leases is approximately R$1.2 million (Ps. 9.0 million) on an annual basis. We may, from time to time, lease additional real estate from Embratel.
Telmex distributes Telcel handsets and prepaid cards on commercial terms, and Embratel provides call center services to the operating subsidiaries of Claro Participações S.A.
Other Commercial Relationships
In 2005, Telmex Argentina, S.A., a subsidiary of Telmex Internacional, and AMX Argentina, S.A. entered into an agreement for the construction of approximately 1,943 kilometers of fiber optic transmission lines in Argentina. The project concluded in 2009, representing a total cost of approximately Ps. 313 million (U.S. $24 million, based on the exchange rate on December 31, 2009).
In 2005, our subsidiary, Claro Chile, S.A. and Telmex Chile Holding, S.A. (Telmex Chile), a subsidiary of Telmex Internacional, entered into an agreement for the provision of capacity and infrastructure by Telmex Chile for a period of 20 years. Pursuant to the agreement, Claro Chile pays a monthly disbursement of U.S.$22.0 million (Ps. 190.0 million, based on the exchange rate on December 31, 2009). The amount recorded in the results of operations as of December 31, 2009 for this agreement was U.S.$265 million. (Ps. 3,460 million, based on the exchange rate on December 31, 2009).
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In November 2005, Embratel entered into an agreement with Claro Participações to provide backbone network capacity to our operating subsidiaries in Brazil for a period of 20 years. Pursuant to this agreement our subsidiaries in Brazil are required to pay Embratel a monthly fee that ranges between R$4.0 million and R$6.0 million (Ps. 24.5 million and Ps. 36.8 million, based on the exchange rate on December 31, 2009), depending on the capacity provided under the agreement.
In 2006, Telmex Perú S.A., a subsidiary of Telmex Internacional, and América Móvil Perú, S.A.C., entered into a turnkey fiber optic network construction agreement in order to jointly build a fiber optic network along the coast of Peru of 2,823 kilometers for approximately Ps. 561 million (U.S.$43 million, based on the exchange rate on December 31, 2009). The construction was awarded through a private bidding process to our affiliates Carso Infraestructura y Construcción, S.A. de C.V. (CICSA) and Grupo Condumex, S.A. de C.V. The project concluded in November 2009.
In 2009, AMX Argentina began the construction of approximately 3,100 kilometers of fiber optic transmission lines in southern Argentina. The construction work and cable are valued at Ps. 503 million (U.S.$39.0 million, based on the exchange rate on December 31, 2009). Once the work is finalized, we expect that AMX Argentina will enter into a 30-year license for use agreement with Telmex Argentina, a subsidiary of Telmex Internacional. Additionally, Telmex Internacional transferred to us the rights to use for 15 years the fiber optic ring serving the Buenos Aires metropolitan area (commonly known in Argentina as the AMBA), which covers most of the urban links of the greater Buenos Aires area (commonly known in Argentina as Gran Buenos Aires) with an approximate value of Ps. 8.1 million (US$ 0.6 million, based on the exchange rate on December 31, 2009).
The terms of these agreements are generally similar to those on which each company does business with unaffiliated parties.
Other Transactions
From time to time, we make investments together with affiliated companies and sell or buy investments to or from affiliated companies. We have pursued joint investments in the telecommunications industry with Telmex.
We may provide, directly or through our subsidiaries, financing to CGT, Telmex Internacional and/or Telmex.
Transactions with Other Affiliates
We have an agreement to receive consulting services from AT&T. During 2010, we will pay U.S.$7.5 million to AT&T in compensation for its services. In 2009, 2008 and 2007 we paid U.S.$7.5 million annually to AT&T in compensation for its services. We have agreements with AT&T International that provide for AT&T International completing our international calls to the United States and for our completing AT&T Internationals calls from the United States.
Prior to our merger with AMTEL, we had a management services agreement with AMTEL, pursuant to which we paid AMTEL U.S.$28.5 million in 2006.
Telcel purchases materials or services from a variety of companies that, according to beneficial ownership reports filed with the SEC, are under common control with us. These services include insurance and banking services provided by Grupo Financiero Inbursa, S.A.B. de C.V. and its subsidiaries. In addition, we sell products in Mexico through the Sanborns and Sears store chains. Telcel purchases these materials and services on terms no less favorable than it could obtain from unaffiliated parties, and would have access to other sources if our affiliates ceased to provide them on competitive terms.
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In December 2007, we donated our 19.7% interest in U.S. Commercial Corp., S.A.B. de C.V., a Mexican holding company that delisted its shares from the Mexican Stock Exchange earlier in 2007 and the parent company of CompUSA, Inc., to Fundación Carso, S.A. de C.V., a charitable organization organized by members of the Slim Family. Subsequently, U.S. Commercial Corp. sold 100% of the shares of CompUSA, Inc. to an unaffiliated third party. The Slim Family, our controlling shareholder, also controls U.S. Commercial Corp. In 2007, we wrote-off the remaining value of our investment in U.S. Commercial Corp. (Ps. 1,363 million).
Note 16 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report provides additional information about our related party transactions.
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Item 8. | Financial Information |
See Item 18Financial Statements and pages F-1 through F-87
We have paid cash dividends on our shares each year since 2001. The table below sets forth the nominal amount of dividends paid per share in each year indicated, in pesos and translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate on each of the respective payment dates.
Year ended December 31, |
Pesos per Share | Dollars per Share | |||
2009 |
Ps.0.80 | U.S.$ | 0.0613 | ||
2008 |
Ps.0.26 | 0.0192 | |||
2007 |
1.20 | 0.1104 |
The declaration, amount and payment of dividends by América Móvil is determined by majority vote of the holders of AA Shares and A Shares, generally on the recommendation of the Board of Directors, and depends on our results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements, future prospects and other factors deemed relevant by the holders of AA Shares and A Shares. In April 2007, our shareholders authorized a dividend of Ps. 0.20 per share, which was paid in a single installment in July 2007. In October 2007, our shareholders approved a special dividend of Ps. 1.00 per share, which was paid in a single installment in November 2007. In April 2008, our shareholders authorized a dividend of Ps. 0.26 per share, which was paid in a single installment in July 2008. In April 2009, our shareholders authorized a dividend of Ps. 0.30 per share, which was paid in a single installment in July 2009. In December 2009, our shareholders approved a special dividend of Ps. 0.50 per share, which was paid in a single installment in December 2009. In April 2010, our shareholders authorized a dividend of Ps. 0.32 per share, payable in two equal installments in July and November 2010. These dividends were or will be paid on each series of our shares.
Our bylaws provide that holders of AA Shares, A Shares and L Shares participate on a per-share basis in dividend payments and other distributions, subject to certain preferential dividend rights of holders of L Shares. See BylawsDividend Rights and BylawsPreferential Rights of L Shares under Item 10.
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In each of the countries in which we conduct operations, we are party to various legal proceedings in the ordinary course of business. These proceedings include tax, labor, antitrust, contractual matters and administrative and judicial proceedings concerning regulatory matters such as interconnection and tariffs. See Note 15 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report.
Our concessions are generally subject to early termination for violations of their terms, including certain service, quality, coverage standards and certain interconnection obligations. We are also party to a number of proceedings regarding our compliance with administrative rules and regulations and concession standards. As of the date of this annual report, we believe that none of these proceedings is likely to result in the revocation of any of our material concessions.
Below is a summary of the most significant legal proceedings in which we are currently involved.
América Móvil
NatTel
The plaintiff, NatTel, LLC (NatTel) sued us and others in a Connecticut state court in the United States based on an August 2007 transaction in which we purchased shares of Oceanic from ODC St. Lucia, a subsidiary of Oceanic Digital Communications, Ltd. (ODC), in which NatTel is a minority shareholder. Under the agreement governing the transaction, the parties placed approximately U.S.$15 million (approximately Ps. 195.9 million) in escrow with The Bank of New York, and the remaining purchase payments paid certain inter-company debt owed by Oceanic to the majority shareholders in ODCSAC Capital Associates, LLC and SAC Capital Advisors (collectively, SAC).
In the Connecticut action, NatTel alleges that the entire transaction was intended to deprive NatTel of its fair share of the sales proceeds, and structured so that SAC received the entire proceeds of the sale. NatTel seeks, among other things, an order that it receive the amount placed in escrow. On February 7, 2008, we filed a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction and insufficient service. The motion principally argues that we do not have sufficient contacts with Connecticut to support the state courts exercise of personal jurisdiction over us. We believe we have several other meritorious defenses to NatTels claims.
Concurrently with the Connecticut action, NatTel also initiated an adversary proceeding in connection with its bankruptcy case in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Connecticut against many of the parties in the Connecticut action, including us. The adversary proceeding contains the same allegations as the Connecticut action.
After the filing of the adversary proceeding in bankruptcy court, defendants, excluding us, filed a motion in the District Court for the District of Connecticut to withdraw the reference of the adversary proceeding, and send those proceedings to the District Court judge who had previously decided a related case against NatTel.
In April 2008, the parties to the Connecticut action agreed to stay the action pending a decision by the District Court on the motion to withdraw. As of the date of this annual report, the District Court has yet to decide on the motion to withdraw. Accordingly, the Connecticut action remains stayed.
We have not made provisions in our financial statements for this potential liability.
Cempresa
In May or June of 2008, plaintiffs Centro Empresarial Cempresa, S.A. and Conecel Holding Limited, filed a suit in the Supreme Court of the State of New York against numerous defendants including us and certain of our
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affiliates, subsidiaries and two members of our Board of Directors, asserting breach of contract, fraud, fraudulent inducement, unjust enrichment and a claim for accounting. The plaintiffs sold a majority of their shares in our Ecuadorian subsidiary Conecel, to a subsidiary of Telmex in 2000. Telmexs holdings in Conecel were included in our spin-off from Telmex in 2000 and remain held by one of its subsidiaries. The plaintiffs kept a minority of the shares of Conecel.
The plaintiffs assert that one of their exit strategies with respect to the minority shares was a right to negotiate for an exchange of those shares for ours. The plaintiffs contend in the lawsuit that the defendants wrongfully deprived them of a share exchange and they seek the alleged value of our shares they claim they would have received, which the plaintiffs assert amounts to over US$900 million (approximately Ps. 11,754 million). The plaintiffs also seek punitive damages. The plaintiffs additionally assert that the defendants purposefully misrepresented the value of the plaintiffs minority shares to try to prevent a share exchange. In 2003, the plaintiffs voluntarily sold their minority shares to the defendants, executing comprehensive releases as part of the transactions.
The defendants filed a motion to dismiss asserting numerous defenses, including statute of limitations, release, lack of damages, personal jurisdiction for certain defendants, and the inability to add to a contract cause of action the fraud causes of action. In December 2008, the trial court denied the motion to dismiss and the defendants appealed. The appellate court stayed the case in the trial court. The appeal is fully briefed and oral argument took place in April 2009.
The defendants believe they have numerous meritorious defenses to the plaintiffs claims. In addition to the defenses contained in the motion to dismiss that are issues on appeal, the defendants do not believe that our spin-off from Telmex triggered the share exchange provision. Moreover, the defendants argue that a plain reading of the provision relating to the potential exchange of shares provides no right to a share exchange, but instead only a right to a good faith negotiation for a period of 20 days, for a potential share exchange.
We have not made provisions in our financial statements for this potential liability.
Telcel
CofecoSubstantial market power investigations
The Mexican competition commission, Cofeco, is conducting two substantial market power investigations into certain competitive conditions in the mobile telecommunications market. The first of these, which commenced in December 2007, is a Cofeco-initiated investigation into whether one or more cellular operators have substantial market power in the market for termination (interconnection) of calls made as part of the local, national and international calling party pays system. Cofeco has issued a preliminary report (dictamen preliminar) finding that each operator, including Telcel, has substantial market power in the market for interconnection to its own network.
Interested parties have the opportunity to submit information for Cofecos review before it issues a final report. Telcel has provided extensive information to Cofeco, and we cannot predict when Cofeco will issue a final report or whether it will modify its preliminary findings.
The second Cofeco investigation, which commenced in April 2008, was initiated by an alleged Telcel subscriber (who in fact was a subscriber of another mobile operator) and relates to whether Telcel has substantial market power in the nationwide market for voice services. In this investigation, Cofeco issued a preliminary report (dictamen preliminar) in November 2008 finding that Telcel has substantial market power in the national mobile telephone services relevant market. The preliminary report was confirmed by the publication on February 10, 2010 in the Official Gazette of the relevant findings of the resolution relating to the existence of substantial market power in the nationwide market for voice services. In February 2010, Telcel filed an administrative proceeding (recurso administrativo de reconsideración) before Cofeco. Cofeco rejected the
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request to analyze the administrative proceeding. Telcel then filed an appeal (amparo indirecto) before an administrative judge against the rejection of the administrative proceeding and the issuance, subscription and publication of the resolution in which relevant findings where published on February 10, 2010 in the Official Gazette.
Under the Federal Antitrust Law and the Mexican Telecommunications Law, if Cofeco makes a final finding of substantial market power concerning an operator, Cofetel can impose on that operator specific regulations with respect to tariffs, quality of service and information. We cannot predict what regulatory steps might be taken in response to determinations by Cofeco.
CofecoMonopolistic practices investigations
Cofeco is currently conducting four separate administrative proceedings against Telcel for alleged monopolistic practices. The first two concern alleged actions by certain distributors of Telcel in relation to the purchase and sale of cellular phones to third parties. The third proceeding concerns to certain exclusivity agreements with some content providers. In each of these investigations, Cofeco has determined that Telcel engaged in anti-competitive behavior, and it has imposed fines totaling Ps. 6.7 million in the aggregate and ordered that the alleged behaviors terminate immediately. Telcel has challenged Cofecos determinations and fines in the courts and no final ruling has been issued.
The fourth investigation concerns alleged monopolistic practices in the interconnection market. After having concluded the investigation stage, in October 2009 Cofeco notified to Telcel a Notice of Apparent Liability (Oficio de Probable Responsabilidad) for carrying out monopolistic practices in the commuted termination services relevant market.
Interested parties to this investigation have the opportunity to submit information for Cofecos review before it issues a final resolution. Telcel has provided extensive information to Cofeco, and we cannot predict when Cofeco will issue a final resolution or whether it will modify the Notice of Apparent Liability.
Adverse determinations against Telcel in any of these proceedings could result in material fines, penalties or restrictions on our operations. We have not made provisions in our financial statements for these potential liabilities since at the time Telcels most recent financial statements were published, the amount of the possible contingency could not be reasonably estimated.
Interconnection Fees
Since 2005, there has been extensive controversy in Mexico concerning the interconnection fees payable by fixed-line operators to mobile operators on fixed-to-mobile calls. The history and current status of these proceedings is discussed under Information of the CompanyMexican OperationsRegulationsInterconnection Fees under Item 4.
February 2009 Interconnection Plan
On February 10, 2009, Cofetel published a Fundamental Technical Plan of Interconnection and Inter-operability (Plan Técnico Fundamental de Interconexión e Interoperabilidad or Plan). A description of the Plan and our legal challenges to the Plan is included under Information of the CompanyMexican OperationsRegulationsFebruary 2009 Interconnection Plan under Item 4.
Short Message Services (SMS)
Under the terms of its concessions for the 850 megahertz spectrum, Telcel must pay to the Mexican federal government a royalty based on gross revenues from concessioned services. The royalty is levied at rates that vary from region to region and average approximately 6%.
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Telcel believes that short message services are value-added services, which are not concessioned services, and that revenues from short message services should not be subject to this royalty.
In related proceedings, Cofetel has ruled that short text messages are subject to the interconnection regulatory regime and that such services do not constitute value-added services. Telcel is currently disputing these issues in an administrative proceeding, but has made provisions in its financial statements for this potential liability.
Trademarks Tax Assessments
On March 3, 2006, the Mexican Tax Administration Service (Servicio de Administración Tributaria, or SAT) notified Telcel of an assessment of Ps. 281.7 million (Ps. 155.8 million plus adjustments, fines and late fees) as a result of a tax deduction made by Telcel in 2003 of Ps. 1,267.7 million in connection with royalty payments made to another of our subsidiaries for the use of certain trademarks. In June 2007, the SAT notified us of an additional assessment of Ps. 541.5 million (Ps. 258.5 million plus adjustments, fines and late fees) as a result of a tax deduction made by us in 2003 in connection with the aforementioned royalty payments. We and Telcel believe that these deductions were made in accordance with applicable law and have challenged the validity of these assessments.
In December 2007, the SAT notified Telcel of a new assessment of Ps. 453.6 million (Ps. 243.6 million plus adjustments, fines and late fees) in connection with a deduction of advertising expenses made by Telcel in 2004 in the amount of Ps. 1,678.6 million. The SAT is challenging the validity of this deduction, alleging that the deduction is unfounded because Telcel is already paying a royalty for the use of the trademarks. Telcel believes that the SATs argument is unfounded and has challenged the assessment in court.
Based on these assessments, we expect that the SAT will challenge deductions made during 2005, 2006 and 2007 for royalty payments and/or expenses associated with the trademarks. Telcel has not made specific provisions in its financial statements for these potential liabilities.
Comcel
Voice over IP
In March 2000, the SIC issued Resolution No. 4954, requiring Comcel to pay a fine of approximately U.S,$100 thousand (approximately Ps. 1.3 million) for alleged anti-competitive behavior. In addition to this administrative fine, the SIC ordered Comcel to pay damages to other long distance operators. The long distance operators estimated their damages to be U.S.$70 million (approximately Ps. 904.2 million). Comcel requested an administrative review of the damages decision, which was denied in June 2000. Comcel appealed, and the appeal was rejected in November 2000. Comcel resubmitted the appeal in February 2001. Comcel also filed a special action in court challenging the denial of the administrative review.
Following a series of court proceedings, a Colombian appeals court in June 2002 ordered that Comcels February 2001 appeal be granted and that the administrative decision against Comcel be reviewed. After additional proceedings, the Constitutional Court revoked the June 2002 decision and ordered the continuance of the procedure for the determination of damages to the other operators.
In January 2008, SIC determined that Comcel was required to pay the long distance operators approximately U.S.$1.8 million (approximately Ps. 23.5 million, which represents a reduction of approximately 95% of the original amount claimed by the long distance operators). In February 2008, Comcel appealed the SICs resolution on the grounds that Comcel had not caused any damage nor it incurred in any liability.
In June 2009, Bogotas Judicial District Court of Appeals (Tribunal Superior del Distrito Judicial de Bogotá), confirmed SICs January 2008 resolution. As a result, Comcel timely paid US$1.8 million fine. As a result of the foregoing, this contingency has been duly terminated.
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Distributors
In February 2007, Comcel was notified of an arbitration proceeding initiated against it by Tecnoquímicas, S.A., which was a distributor of prepaid cards of Comcel until July 2006. In the proceeding, the distributor alleges breach of contract and commercial liability on the part of Comcel. Claimant seeks to recover approximately U.S.$35 million (approximately Ps. 457.1 million) from Comcel. In July 2009, the arbitration tribunal decided that Comcel had to pay Tecnoquímicas, S.A., U.S.$13 million (approximately Ps. 169.8 million), which were timely paid by Comcel. As a result of the foregoing, this contingency has been duly terminated.
During the second quarter of 2010, Comcel was notified of certain arbitration proceedings initiated against it by Conexcel S.A., Globaltronics Colombia S.A., Electrophone S.A., Andino Celular S.A. and CTM S.A., all of whom were distributors of Comcel. The plaintiffs allege breach of contract and commercial liability on the part of Comcel. Considering the aforesaid proceedings have just been notified to Comcel, as of the date of this annual report it is not possible to quantify the total plaintiffs claims.
Dominant position
In September 2009, the CRC issued a series of resolutions stating that Comcel has a dominant position in Colombias market for outgoing mobile services. Under Colombian law, a market participant is considered to have a dominant position in a specified market if the regulators determine that it has the capacity to control the conditions in that market. The CRC made its determination based on Comcels traffic, revenues and subscriber base. The resolutions also included regulations that would require Comcel to charge rates (excluding access fees) for mobile-to-mobile calls outside the Comcel network (off net) that are no higher than the fees charged for mobile-to-mobile calls within the Comcel network (on net) plus access fees. The regulations were first implemented on December 4, 2009 and Comcel does not expect them to have a material impact on its business and results of operations in Colombia.
Brazil
Anatel Inflation-Related Adjustments
Anatel has challenged each of Tess, S.A., or Tess, and ATL-Telecom Leste, S.A., or ATL, regarding the calculation of inflation-related adjustments due under these companies concession agreements with ANATEL. 40% of the concession price under each of these agreements was due upon execution and 60% was due in three equal annual installments (subject to inflation-related adjustments and interest) beginning in 1999. Both companies have made these concession payments, but ANATEL has rejected the companies calculation of the inflation-related adjustments and requested payment of the alleged shortfalls.
The companies have filed declaratory and consignment actions in Brazilian courts seeking resolution of the disputes. The court of first instance ruled against ATLs filing for declaratory action in October 2001 and ATLs filing for consignment action in September 2002. Subsequently, ATL filed appeals which are pending. The court of first instance ruled against Tess filing for consignment action in June 2003 and against Tess filing for declaratory action in February 2009. Tess filed an appeal which is pending. In December 2008, ANATEL charged Tess approximately US$160 million (approximately Ps. 2,089.6 million). Tess filed an appeal and consequently payment has been suspended until the final ruling is issued. In March 2009, ANATEL charged ATL approximately U.S.$100 million (approximately Ps. 1,306 million). ATL filed an appeal and consequently payment has been suspended until the final ruling is issued.
The aggregate contested amounts are approximately US$240 million (approximately Ps. 3,134.4 million) (including potential penalties and interest). On December 31, 2005, both ATL and Tess were merged into BCP, S.A. (BCP). In April 2008, BCP changed its name to Claro S.A. (Claro Brasil).
Claro Brasil has made specific provisions in its financial statements for these potential liabilities.
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BNDESPar
Prior to the acquisition of Telet, S.A. (Telet) and Americel, S.A. (Americel) by Telecom Americas Limited (Telecom Americas), BNDESPar, a subsidiary of BNDES, the Brazilian development bank, had entered into investment and other shareholder agreements with Americel, Telet and certain of their significant shareholders. Under these agreements, BNDESPar had the right, among others, to participate in the sale of shares of Telet and Americel in the event of certain transfers of control, for so long as BNDESPar held 5% of the share of capital in those companies.
In October 2003, Telecom Americas increased the capital of each of Telet and Americel and BNDESPars ownership fell below 5% from approximately 20% in each, as it elected not to exercise its preemptive rights. Subsequently, BNDESPar sent official notices to Telet and Americel reserving its rights under the agreements with respect to certain past transfers of shares. In November 2004, BNDESPar filed a lawsuit with the competent court of Rio de Janeiro claiming that BNDESPar is entitled to sell its shares in Telet and Americel to Telecom Americas for approximately US$164 million (approximately Ps. 2,141.8 million). We do not believe that BNDESPar has valid grounds for its claims against Telecom Americas. We cannot provide assurance, however, that Telecom Americas will ultimately prevail in this dispute. Claro Brasil has not made specific provisions in its financial statements for this potential liability.
Lune Patent Case
A Brazilian company claims that wireless operators in Brazil have infringed its patent over certain caller ID technology. The plaintiff first brought a patent infringement case in a state court in Brasília, Federal Capital of Brazil, against Americel and later brought cases, as part of two separate proceedings, against other 23 defendants. Although the Company believes that the patent does not cover the technology that is used by Americel to provide caller ID services, Americel lost the case at the trial level and on first appeal. After the judgment against Americel was rendered, a federal court in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, rendered a preliminary injunction decision suspending the effects of the patent, in an action filed by a supplier of caller ID technology. This injunction was later upheld on appeal, and the proceeding for judicial review on the merits of the validity of the patent is in its initial stages.
Americel filed three special appeals against the decision of the state court in Brasília, seeking review at the Superior Court of Justice (which is the highest court in Brazil to decide on questions of federal law) and Supreme Court (the highest court in Brazil to decide on questions of constitutional law). The Court of Appeals has determined that two of Americels special appeals will be heard by the Superior Court of Justice. Americels request for a special appeal before the Supreme Court was denied. Americel filed a motion requesting the reversal of this decision which is still pending.
The cases against the other operators are currently suspended as a result of the preliminary injunction suspending the effects of the patent. The plaintiff has brought these cases to the same state trial court that heard the case against Americel, but the defendants have requested that the cases be remitted to another court on jurisdictional grounds. The Americel judgment does not bind other state courts or federal courts of Brazil. We do not expect that there will be a resolution of these other cases within this year.
In the case against Americel, the plaintiff has requested the court to initiate the necessary proceedings for the execution of judgment. The court has estimated that the award for damages could amount to as much as approximately US$270 million (approximately Ps. 3,526.2 million). In September 2006, the Higher Court of Justice of Brazil unanimously ruled to stay the trial, due to the injunction suspending the validity of the patent in question. In September 2009, Lune filed before the Higher Court of Justice of Brazil a motion to revert the ruling to stay the trial. However, Americel obtained a favorable resolution that maintained the decision to stay the trial until a ruling has been issued in the process held before the federal court in Rio de Janeiro. Lune has challenged the resolution before the Superior Court, but the resolution to stay the trial was unanimously upheld. We expect
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that the trial will remain stayed as long as the patent remains suspended. Furthermore, Americel benefits from a limited contractual indemnity from its equipment suppliers (Nortel Networks) in respect of trademark infringement. The process remains suspended by the Superior Court of Justice. Americel has not made specific provisions in its financial statements to cover these potential liabilities.
Tax Assessments against Americel
In December 2005, the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service (Secretaria da Receita Federal do Brasil) issued three tax assessments against Americel in respect of withholding income taxes and PIS and COFINS taxes (contributions levied on gross revenue) for 2000 through 2005. As of February 2010, the total amount of the tax assessments was R$ 289 million (approximately Ps. 2,175.5 million), including R$ 89.9 million (approximately Ps. 673.4 million) of taxes and contributions plus fines and interest. Americel has challenged these assessments, and its challenge is pending before the Brazilian Taxpayers Council (Conselho Administrativo de Recursos Fiscais) in Brasilia. Americel did not make any specific provisions in its financial statements to cover these potential liabilities.
Tax Assessments against ATL
In March 2006, the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service issued two tax assessments against ATL in respect of certain tax credits claimed by ATL and derived from non-cumulative contributions levied on gross income (PIS and COFINS). Under the Brazilian tax legislation, the calculation and payment of PIS and COFINS has two different regimes, the cumulative and non-cumulative regimes. The applicability of a regime depends on the nature of the company and its business sector. The cumulative regime applies to revenues derived from the provision of telecommunications services, while the sale of handsets is taxed under the non-cumulative regime. The non-cumulative regime is based on the value-added concept and allows the taxpayer to claim tax credits corresponding to preceding transactions. ATL (as well as other our Brazilian subsidiaries) offsets the tax credit derived from the non-cumulative regime for the sale of handsets (the balance between the purchase and the sale of handsets), against contributions owed under the cumulative regime. The Brazilian Federal Revenue Service is arguing that tax credits derived from the non-cumulative regime may not be used to offset contributions owed under the cumulative regime. The total amount of the tax assessments is approximately R$75 million (approximately Ps. 562.5 million), including R$24.1 million (approximately Ps. 180.8 million) of taxes and contributions plus R$30.8 million (approximately Ps. 231 million) of fines and interest. Claro Brasil has challenged these assessments, and the challenge is pending before the Brazilian Taxpayers Council.
On December 31, 2005, ATL was merged into BCP. In April 2008, BCP changed its name to Claro Brasil.
Claro Brasil did not make any specific provisions in its financial statements to cover these potential liabilities.
Conecel
Tax Assessments
During 2008, Conecel filed administrative proceedings before the Ecuadorian Revenue Services (Servicio de Rentas Internas de Ecuador, or the SRI), challenging US$127 million (approximately Ps. 1,658.6 million) of certain tax assessments notified by the SRI amounting to U.S.$138 million (not including interest and penalties) (approximately Ps. 1,802.3) which related to special consumption (ICE), value-added, income and withholding taxes for the years 2003 to 2006. In March 2008, Conecel paid to the SRI U.S.$14.3 million (approximately Ps. 186.8 million) in respect of the aforesaid tax assessments.
In December 2008, the SRI notified Conecel of a resolution that denied the challenges filed by