Following in the wake of rival Cable & Wireless Panama (C&WP), which launched 700MHz Long Term Evolution-based (LTE-based) services earlier this month, Movistar Panama has now inaugurated its own 4G network.
With the company claiming to have deployed the largest numbers of LTE-compatible sites in the capital, coverage is initially limited to Panama City, while Movistar has also confirmed that it is not charging any additional fee for 4G connectivity. Customers in the coverage area need only to upgrade their SIM card and have a compatible handset in order to utilise their existing data usage allowances. Pre-paid data usage plans start from PAB1.99 for a 250MB allowance (valid for two days), rising to PAB8.99 for 1GB (valid for 15 days). All of the cellco’s post-paid ‘Libre’ plans also allow customers to connect to the LTE network, assuming they have a compatible device, with costs starting at PAB30 per month for a plan offering a 2GB data usage allowance, as well as 450 minutes of calls via the 2G/3G network, with a top-tier tariff providing a 10GB data cap and 1800 minutes of calls for PAB100 per month.
