Liberty Latin America Completes Acquisition of EchoStar Assets in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands

Liberty Latin America (LLA) announced that it has closed the transaction to acquire EchoStar’s (SATS) spectrum assets in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands (USVI), as well as approximately 85,000 pre-paid mobile subscribers. The transaction, valued at USD 255 million, received approval from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC noted in its approval on August 9, 2024, that the expected public interest benefits include increased competition in Puerto Rico and the USVI.

• Make Telecom Talk My Trusted Source
• 
• 

Also Read: Liberty Latin America and Millicom to Merge Costa Rican Operations

Transaction Details

LLA said it paid the first instalment of USD 95 million on September 4, the date of the deal’s closing, with the remaining amount to be paid in three annual instalments. The company plans to finance the deal through local liquidity sources, including cash on hand and operational cash flow. The carrier first struck the deal with EchoStar in November of last year.

Commenting on the acquisition, Liberty Latin America said, “By acquiring over 100 MHz of spectrum, approximately 85,000 pre-paid subscribers, and an extensive distribution network, we have a tremendous opportunity to leverage our full-service products to drive fixed-mobile convergence penetration from current levels of around 25 percent.”

“As we ramp up our commercial efforts, there is significant room for growth. These assets will enable us to add more capacity, increase speeds, further strengthen our 5G mobile network, and grow our scale in the prepaid market,” LLA added.