Motorola unit: Mobile market boosted by provincial sales this year

Peru's provinces will account for 60% of all mobile telephone sales this year, local paper Gestión reported Motorola Peru general manager José Antonio Flores as saying. "The provinces will dynamize the growth of the mobile market this year, considering that there are still many cities that currently have no mobile service and that will have access to the service this year," said Flores. According to official figures, the number of mobile users in Peru surpassed 15.5mn at the end of last year, up nearly 77% compared to 8.7mn at end-2006 Peru is expected to end 2011 with 15% penetration in fixed line telephony and 80% in the mobile segment, according to the country's transport and communications ministry ( MTC). Peru's mobile operators are Movistar Perú, of Spain's Telefónica (NYSE: TEF); Nextel, of NII Holdings (Nasdaq: NIHD); and Claro, of América Móvil (NYSE: AMX).