Information & Communication Technology Panama Honduras Nicaragua

Communication Statistics From The - CIA FACTBOOK Panama Honduras Nicaragua Telephones – Main in use 396000 234000 140000 Telephones - Mobile 17000 14427 7911 TV Stations 38 11 3 Internet Country Code .pa .hn .ni ISP’S 6 8 Internet Users 45000 40000 20000 Internet Users as percentage of population 1.5% .5% .3%

Phone and Cell Phone Subscribers Source: Regulating Entity of Panama – Ente Regulador de Panama 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Total Phone Lines 418756 462476 429135 376499 386904 Phones Lines per 100 15.1 16.4 12.6 13.6 Total Cell Phone Subscribers 85833 232888 410401 495396 569705 Cell Phones per 100 3.1 8.1 14.5 17.5 19.2

Telecommunications Information - Panama Infrastructure According to the CIA World Fact Book, Panamá has well developed telecommunication facilities, including domestic and international facilities. According to the ARI (Inter-oceanic Area Authority-Autoridad de la Región Interoceánica), Panamá has access to one of the best submarine optical fiber connection infrastructures in Latin America. The ARI is an organization that administrates and maintains the areas that were reverted to the Panamanian government in the year 2000, and its goal is to promote the productive integration of these areas in order to benefit the country. Infrastructure at the National Level On the national level, Panamá has four optical cable systems which are extended throughout the country. Submarine Optical Fiber Connections Internationally, it has the following submarine optical fiber connections: PAC system: connects Japan, California, Mexico, Panama, St. Croix, United States and Europe. SAC system: connects Panama, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia. Pan American system: connects Panama, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Chile. MAYA 1: connects Florida, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Grand Cayman and Jamaica. ARCOS: connects Central America and the Caribbean. Brief History of Privatization and De-Regulation 1996: The Panamanian government began the process of privatization of the National Institute of Telecommunications (INTEL-Instituto Nacional de Telecomunicaciones). 1997: The INTEL provided telecommunication services until 1997. The companies that were pre-qualified to buy the rights to 49% of the INTEL were Cable and Wireless, GTE, and South Western Bell. South Western Bell retired before negotiations got underway, leaving Cable and Wireless and GTE as contenders. 1997: Cable and Wireless bought 49%. The government owns the remaining 51%. 2003: The telecommunications market was opened and other companies were allowed to enter the market. As a result, Cable and Wireless ceased to have the monopoly in the market, for national and international services. Telecarrier Inc. and Clarocom are currently providing competitive rates for national and international calls. Companies seeking to enter the market in the near future include Advanced Communications, Galaxy Communications Corp., System One World, Tricom, and Voip Comunicaciones de Panamá.

Honduras Public phone services are found throughout the country. Either as coin public phones, phones that can be used for a per minute price in hotels or shops and Hondutel the national phone service provider has offices throughout the country where national and international calls can be made. Fax services can also be found in most towns, additionally so can Internet cafes. Access to telecommunications services in Honduras remains well below the Latin American average. The installed telephone network capacity in November 2001 is 415,131 lines, with 322,500 lines in service in 2002. Line penetration for the entire country is 63%, with 4.8 telephone lines per one hundred inhabitants. Privatization of the telecommunications sector remains incomplete and the sale and reform of the state telecommunications entity Hondutel has been postponed. The National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel), an independent regulatory agency was created for the telecommunications sector.

Internet in Honduras Basic Statistics 2000 (per 1000 inhabitants – except as noted) Daily Newspapers 55 Radios 412 TV Sets 96 Telephone Mainlines 46 Cell Phone Subscribers 24 Personal Computers per 1000 inhabitants 10.8 Internet Hosts Registered Under Geographic Domain 157 Adult Literacy Rate (% ages 15 and over) 75.1

ICT - Honduras International phone calls are astronomically expensive from Hondutel A three-minute call to the US or Canada currently costs US$11.50 to Europe US$14.80 and to Australia or New Zealand US$18.20 The branches in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula are open 24 hours; elsewhere, offices are open daily from 7am to 9pm. In all the main tourist destinations and most cities there's now a cybercafé or communication centre Many cybercafés also offer Web phone calls, which cut international call rates to the price of surfing the Net Police have periodically raided cybercafés and confiscated Web phone equipment Another alternative option is to purchase an international calling card There are also public phone booths scattered around the major towns Fax services are available in most Hondutel branches Note that there are no area phone codes Internet use has mushroomed in Honduras in the last few years