Competition to drive down overseas call charges

A recent study has found that Honduras has Latin America’s most expensive rates for international and cellular calls, although a market shake-up is expected as more competition is introduced. BNamericas cites a study by the Organisation of American States (OAS) which has found that the slow liberalisation of the Honduran telecoms sector has led to the high prices, with international calling rates remaining high to subsidise cheaper local and national services. However, the country’s telecoms regulator Conatel expects the launch of international telephony services by the mobile operators Celtel and Megatel to drive down international call charges, with the dominant local telephony operator Hondutel likely to increase domestic rates to compensate for the loss of international revenue.