American Tower grows Mexican presence with digital community centers

American Tower Corporation (ATC) is diversifying its activities in Mexico, its second largest market in Latin America, where it provides wireless towers and fiber optics capacity provision to the main telcos and service providers.

As part of this drive, the US digital infrastructure group intends to open around 40 community digital centers in the coming years in different parts of the country, to serve low-income tiers of the population in underserved areas with digital and broadband services.

Mexico is one of the few countries where ATC invests in these structures. 

The initiative builds on a deal formally established in September with the country’s telecoms investment promotion entity Promtel to bridge the digital divide in the country.

The collaboration includes studies on telecoms and digitization, as well as training for the development of connectivity and works to foster investment in neutral and shared infrastructure.

Both Promtel and ATC are also involved in the Red Compartida shared network project, which was rescued by the Mexican government in June.

The latest of these hubs was opened in Huixtla, Chiapas state, in partnership with the Mexican government's science, technology and innovation institute (ICTI), social organization Save the Children Mexico and Huixtla’s municipal administration.

The digital site will offer computing devices and high-bandwidth connections for people to improve their digital skills through courses and training for people of all ages, according to the company.

Details of the investment made were not provided.

Mexico is currently ATC’s second biggest market in Latin America after Brazil. 

The company had 9,627 towers deployed in the country as of end-September, whose leasing contracts accounted for 5.4% of the company's total Q3 property revenues. Its main local customers are Telefónica, AT&T and América Móvil.

In addition to fiber and macro sites, the company also provides 92 in-building and outdoor DAS (distributed antenna systems), small cell and Wi-Fi networks, as well as managed rooftops and related infrastructure services in Mexico.