Claro Puerto Rico

Claro Puerto Rico
Type Public company
Subsidiary of América Móvil
Traded as NYSEAMX
Industry Telecommunications
Predecessor Puerto Rico Telephone Authority (Autoridad de Teléfonos),
Puerto Rico Communications Corporation (Autoridad de Comunicaciones)
Founded 1858[1]
Headquarters Flagship headquarters
Mexico
Local headquarters
Puerto Rico Guaynabo
Area served 1.8 million subscribers[2]
Key people Enrique Ortiz de Montellano (President and CEO)
Daniel Hajj Aboumrad (CEO, AMX)
Carlos J. García Moreno (CFO, AMX)
Products Broadband
Mobile phone
Telephone
Television
(Quadruple Player)
UMTS/HSDPA, CDMA, HSPA+ GSM, Wireless Data Services, Push to Talk
Revenue $1.2 billion USD
Employees 4,649
Parent América Móvil
Subsidiaries CoquiNet Corporation, Puerto Rico Telephone Company, Inc.
Website Claro Puerto Rico

Claro (formerly Puerto Rico Telephone) is the largest Puerto Rican telecommunications services company. It is headquartered in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, and has operated for almost a century offering voice, data, long distance, broadband, directory publishing and wireless services for the island residents and businesses. It was founded by the brothers Behn, Sosthenes and Hernan[3]. Originally, Puerto Rico Telephone Company eventually spawned ITT Corporation, which was founded by Sosthenes Behn. The company was a public corporation of the government of Puerto Rico for many years until the majority stakes were acquired by GTE in the mid-1990s. It was a subsidiary of Verizon Communications until it was fully acquired by América Móvil in 2007.

History

On April 3, 2006, Verizon Communications announced it had agreed to sell its stakes in Telecomunicaciones de Puerto Rico, Inc. (TELPRI) and their sole ownership of the main Dominican telephone company Verizon Dominicana, now Claro República Dominicana, to América Móvil of Mexico.[4][5]

On December 31, 2006, Verizon and América Móvil completed Verizon Dominicana ownership transfer into Mexican hands. After another three months and various litigations upon the Federal Communications Commission, which had advise from the Puerto Rico Telecommunications Board, on March 30, 2007 TELPRI assets were completely acquired by América Móvil. The purchase was closed after an agreement to purchase from Popular, Inc., the government of Puerto Rico and the telephone company employee stock ownership program, the remaining stocks of TELPRI at the same price as Verizon.

To present day, América Móvil is the 100% owner of the company[6] and has rebranded the wireless arm of the company -formerly Verizon Wireless- under their international Claro brand.[7]

As of February 2011 America Móvil has rebranded its wireline (fixed line), broadband DSL, television and dial-up services as Claro. The only services that, for now, remain branded as Claro - Puerto Rico Telephone are business, government or corporate.

References

External links

Puerto Rico portal
Companies portal