América Móvil

América Móvil was created in 2001 when Telmex spun off its wireless mobile activities from its landline and internet activities.[5]

On November 15, 2005, the company signed an international pact with Ooredoo to jointly deliver various international services. In 2006, América Móvil made a bid to acquire Verizon's Latin American and Caribbean operations[6] and unified its brands (Comcel Colombia, Porta in Ecuador, Telcel in México, Tracfone in the US and CTI Movil in Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina) under Claro unbrella.[7] América Móvil acquired 100% of Jamaican mobile operator Oceanic Digital, under the brand name MiPhone in August 2007.[8] By 2007, América Móvil's valuation was over $100 billion.[9] In the US, its prepaid mobile subsidiary Tracfone had 8.6 million customers.[10] 2007 was also the year América Movil's owner Carlos Slim became the richest person on the planet.[11] In 2008, América Móvil launched the iPhone in Latin America.[12] In 2009, América Móvil partnered with Nokia to use Nokia maps as its location-based service in Latin America.[13] The group also launched the first Android phone in Latin America.[14]

In January 2010, it made an offer to buy Carso Telecom and Telmex International ($21 billion for Telmex[15]) in order to better compete against Spain's Telefonica and Malaysia's Telekom Malaysia. The acquisition was approved by the CFC (Comisión Federal de Competencia) Antitrust Office in Mexico on February 11, 2010. América Móvil had once been Telmex' mobile division, but had grown far larger than its former parent since its spinoff in 2001.[16]

In early August 2013, América Móvil offered to take over the remaining 70% stake of the Dutch telecommunications company KPN for 7.2 billion Euros ($9.49 billion). América Móvil currently owns close to 30% of KPN. The Dutch government has warned against this acquisition quoting it as a threat to national security. The Dutch government's intervention comes after the council representing employees of KPN urged authorities to halt América Móvil's planned bid.[17]

In 2018, the company's chief executive Daniel Hajj announced that América Móvil is seeking a TV license in Mexico.[18]

In January 2019, America Movil announces the acquisition of Telefonica's operations in Guatemala and El Salvador for $333 million and $315 million respectively. However, the agreement for Telefonica Moviles and Telefonica Multiservicios in El Salvador, under the Movistar brand, was cancelled by mutual agreement with Telefonica in 2020 due to the conditions imposed by the monitoring of competition in El Salvador.[19][20]

In 2012, the OECD estimated that lack of competition in telecommunications had cost the economy of Mexico $25 billion per year.[21][22] The company was accused of charging especially high interconnectivity fees to thwart the competition.[9] During the years before 2010, due to stricter regulations throughout Latin American countries, América Móvil's market shares shrunk and Telefónica gained grounds there.[23] In 2013, América Móvil held 75% of the Mexican telecommunications market, which led the government to lead major antitrust reforms.[24]

The company's world headquarters are located in Mexico City, Mexico. Its Mexican subsidiary Telcel is the largest mobile operator in that country, commanding a market share in excess of 70%. The company operates under its Claro subsidiaries in many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, these include the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Colombia and Ecuador. In Brazil it also operates Claro and other subsidiary Embratel. It owns 14,86% of KPN in the Netherlands and has done a bid on 100% of the shares. The group has also fully consolidated the Telekom Austria Group into its financial reporting, owning 51.0% of its shares and using the Austrian operator to expand América Móvil's European network.[25]

As of December 2010, the company was one of the top four telecommunications companies in the world and boasted 290,000 kilometres of Fiber-optic cable, making it the largest in infrastructure.[26]

As of April 2012, América Móvil registered an annual profit of $5 billion. With assets of over $67 billion (As of April 2012), the company is currently the largest company in Mexico by assets with Banorte very closely behind them with assets of over $59 billion (As of April 2012) It is highly likely that the company will buy a group of companies with at least $29 billion in assets in 2013 in the pension, insurance, payroll, currency exchange and mutual funds industries to secure their position as the most asset rich company in Mexico. And with a market value of over $93 billion (As of April 2012), the company is currently the most valuable in Mexico, more than the next three most valuable companies combined.

As of Q1 2019:[4]

North America

• Mexico - Telcel 75.611 million

Central America and the Caribbean

• Costa Rica Dominican Republic El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama Puerto Rico - Claro 21.741 million

South America

• Colombia - Claro 29.887 million
• Peru - Claro 11.818 million
• Brazil - Claro 56.383 million
• Argentina Paraguay Uruguay - Claro 24.370 million
• Ecuador - Claro 8.308 million
• Chile - Claro 6.720 million

Austria and CEE 20.908 million

• Austria - A1
• Bulgaria - A1 Bulgaria
• Belarus - A1
• Croatia - A1 Hrvatska
• Slovenia - A1 Slovenija
• Serbia - A1 Srbija
• North Macedonia - A1 Macedonia
• Liechtenstein - Telecom Liechtenstein (sold in 2020)

Global wireless customers 277.425 million

• List of mobile network operators of the Americas

• Official website
• Business data for América Móvil:
  • Bloomberg
  • Google
  • Reuters
  • SEC filings
  • Yahoo!