StarMedia Network Launches Latin America Internet Service

StarMedia Network Wednesday rolled out its new Internet access service for Latin America, StarMedia Acesso/Acceso.

The service is now available in Brazil, and the company expects to offer StarMedia Acesso/Acceso in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico by the end of the year.

The various StarMedia Acesso/Acceso plans include Internet connectivity, 24- hour customer support, international account access, and the option to access all of StarMedia’s
(STRM) Internet products.

“StarMedia Acesso will offer a dynamic community experience to the Latin American Internet user,” said Fernando Espuelas, StarMedia’s chairman and chief executive officer. “Our new access service gives us an incredible opportunity to get closer to the end user by offering them a premium branded integrated solution that will set a new benchmark for service and reliability in the region.”

StarMedia created the service in partnership with AT&T (T) Global Network Services, recently transferred as part of AT&T’s acquisition of the IBM Global Network. StarMedia Acesso/Acceso uses AT&T’s network infrastructure and customer service capabilities.

The service can be downloaded from StarMedia’s Brazil site. The packages are priced at R$31.99 (US$16.45) for unlimited access, R$22.99 (US$11.96) for 10 hours per month, and R$9.99 (US$5.20) for 5 hours of access per month.

Latin America is expected to have 34 million Internet users by next year, according to a recent study by Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi.