Hondutel
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Hondutel (or the Empresa Hondureña de Telecomunicaciones), is Honduras' government owned telecommunications company.
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[edit] History
The organization was created on May 7, 1976, as an autonomous organization responsible for the moderization of Honduras' telecommunication system, and to achieve a better efficiency in its administration and profitability.
[edit] Recent Milestones
On June 19 2007, President Manuel Zelaya and the current management of Hondutel launched its first of a series of Personal Communications Services (PCS) networks.
[edit] Tegucel
Tegucel has come to be a balancing force concerning low cost prices on mobile services, which have been dominated and controlled by foreign monopolies such as Luxembourg's Millicom and Mexico's juggernaut American Mobile. Tegucel is intended to become a cost-effective alternative to the current services offered by the other wireless operators, providing rates as low as three times of those charged by the two foreign monopolies. Tegucel and its sister company Sulacel provide free text messaging and guarantees the voice quality of its service using EFR (Enhanced Full Rate) and avoiding the use of half rate codecs and oversubscription on its network.
[edit] Sulacel
On October 19, 2007, President of Honduras Manuel Zelaya and Hondutel successfully launched Sulacel, a PCS network for the Honduran Northwest's Sula Valley including the cities of San Pedro Sula, La Lima, Villanueva and surrounding communities.
[edit] Ceibacel
Hondutel launched it's third PCS operation with Ceibacel on December 14, 2007 in La Ceiba. With Ceibacel Hondutel completed its coverage over the three biggest cities in the country, providing benefits such as free SMS among the three networks and rates as 5 times as lower than their competitors.
[edit] Further Expansion
It is estimated that the complete Hondutel PCS network, potentially referred to as Honducel, will begin operations in 2008.
[edit] Controversies
[edit] Journalists charged
Controversy over alleged corruption, called grey traffic (tráfico gris) became main news in 2007[1] after several journalists including Renato Alvarez were prosecuted for speaking about the corruption[2].
[edit] YouTube
An unknown individual posted various recordings of high government officials on YouTube, including of the President Mel Zelaya, implicating them in a corruption scandal concerning Hondutel[3]. After Zelaya made a complaint to the police they launched an investigation to find who had made the recordings, which are considered espionage and a violation of Honduras' privacy laws, that included searching the mansion of the now ex-CEO of Hondutel, Marcelo Chimirri and searching both his office at Hondutel and those of other members of staff[4], the former was an action condemned by Zelaya[5]. On November 14. As of December 1, 2007 Marcelo Chimirri resigned from his post as CEO of Hondutel, without a substitute being named. On January 24, 2008 the United States embassy confirmed that Chimirri would not be allowed to enter the US.[6]
