Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States, is located in the northeast Caribbean Sea. With a total land area of 8,897 square kilometres supporting a population of approximately 3.2 million, the island is densely populated. The topography is dominated by central mountain ranges, coastal plains, and urban areas, most notably the capital San Juan. Despite significant challenges posed by the geography, Puerto Rico has developed a robust telecommunications infrastructure with high penetration rates for mobile and internet services. The island has also made strides in the technology sector, boasting several tech parks and a growing start-up ecosystem. However, the energy sector is still largely reliant on imported fossil fuels, with efforts to transition to renewable sources hindered by the devastating impact of Hurricane Maria in 2017. Infrastructure restoration and renewable energy projects have been initiated, but progress remains slow due to financial constraints and bureaucratic hurdles.
Mobile Network Operators
The are 4 companies operating mobile networks in this region.
Claro Puerto Rico, a major telecommunications services company, is based in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. The company's history spans nearly a century, during which it has provided a range of services including voice, data, long distance, broadband, directory publishing, and wireless services to residents and businesses on the island. It was founded by brothers Sosthenes and Hernan Behn, who also established ITT Corporation. For many years, Claro Puerto Rico was a public corporation under the Puerto Rican government until GTE acquired the majority stakes in the mid-1990s. The company was a subsidiary...
Liberty Puerto Rico, also known as Liberty Communications of Puerto Rico LLC, is a telecommunications company based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The company was established in 1999, succeeding TCI Cable. Liberty Puerto Rico provides an array of services including broadband internet, VoIP, television and wireless services, covering the entirety of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
Originally operating as OneLink Communications, the company was owned by MidOcean Partners and Crestview Partners until it was acquired by Liberty Global. On November 7, 2013, Liberty Puerto Rico announced the...
Sprint Puerto Rico is a telecommunications company operating in Puerto Rico, formed through a merger between Sprint and Open Mobile. Open Mobile, initially established on June 12, 2007, as a relaunch of NewComm Wireless Services, was acquired by M/C Partners and Columbia Capital after the latter's bankruptcy. The merger with Sprint was announced on February 23, 2017, with the transaction subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission and other regulatory bodies. Approval was granted in September 2017, with Sprint becoming the majority shareholder. As a result of Sprint's...
T-Mobile Puerto Rico, formerly known as Open Mobile, is a telecommunications network operator based in Puerto Rico. The company was established on June 12, 2007, as a relaunch of NewComm Wireless Services, previously trading as Movistar. Following Movistar's filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December 2006, its assets were acquired by M/C Partners and Columbia Capital for $160 million USD, forming the basis of Open Mobile.
In 2017, Open Mobile merged with Sprint, forming a joint venture in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Sprint became the majority shareholder of this...