Mexico: ISPs, Prices and Opportunity
The following types of Internet service are availiable in Mexico:
- Dial Up
- DSL
- ADSL
- WiFi
- Pre-Paid
- Satellite
Although the NIC Mexico lists hundreds
of ISPs in Mexico,
Prodigy Internet dominates the Mexican Market with a 92% share, including WiFi
hotspots and Broadband DSL. Prodigy Internet’s broadband service is called
Prodigy Infinitum, and it is availiable in varying speeds. The prices and
speeds can be found directly at the Prodigy
website. The price of Prodigy’s cheapest plan (around $30 US per month) is
around twice that of leading ISP’s in the US
such as Verizon ($14.99 US per month). Part of the reason why Prodigy has
been able to dominate the market so strongly is because it is part of Telmex,
the leading Telecom Company in Mexico.
Because of its affiliation to Telmex, Prodigy is able to offer convenient
internet-telephone packages to clients, which other ISP’s cannot do.
Subscribers of Prodigy infinitum also have free access to WiFi hotspots in most
airports and shopping malls in the major cities.
Prodigy currently has a
quasi-monopoly status in Mexico,
but a handfull of other ISPs survive in niche markets throughout the country.
One such niche provider is GLOBALSAT, a satellite ISP provider which
boasts complete national coverage, even to the most remote locations. GLOBALSAT’s
services are expensive and require a significant initial equipment
investment, but they are able to provide Internet service to locations where
telephone lines are not availiable.
References:
http://www.solutionsabroad.com/a_internet_access.asp
http://www.nic.mx/es/ISP.Consulta_2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prodigy_(ISP)#Conversion_to_a_true_ISP
http://home.globalsat.com.mx/globalsat/contenido.cfm?cont=PLANES_DE_COMPRA
http://home.globalsat.com.mx/globalsat/contenido.cfm?cont=MAIN
http://www.telmex.com/mx/hogar/ai_pdgyInfinitumInicio.html