Nextel Brasil NII Holdings Formerly part of Nextel, before it was acquired by Sprint. Offers services to cor- porate and individual custom- ers in Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil. Plans to cover most of Brazil with new spectrum for 3G service. Sub-Saharan Africa In addition, mobile operator Oi has announced its plan to trial Long-Term Evolu- tion (LTE) technology. The expectation is that LTE service will be available in time for the 2014 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro. Growth and opportunities for mobile services and new applications are expected to come from growth of mobile broadband on third- and fourth-generation networks. It is hoped that a growing middle class, improve- ments in education, and government investments in infrastructure will fuel this growth. Investments by foreign entities will also be an important source of growth and new industry for Brazil's strong economy. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Africa has the second largest number of mobile connections worldwide after the Asia- Pacific region. Africa's growth in mobile services has been triggered by the availability of lower-cost devices and services, improvements in mobile coverage, and its growing middle class. Part of this growth is attributed to the high proportion of users with more than one Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card. Each SIM card is considered a single mobile connection. Africa has the most potential for mobile subscriber growth. This is true despite the fact that there are large pockets of poverty and widespread unemployment, even in the fastest-growing African countries and those with relatively modern infrastructure. South Africa, which accounts for half of the telecom revenue in sub-Saharan Africa, had a 24 percent unemployment rate in January 2012. Sub-Saharan Africa is that por- tion of the continent that is south of the Sahara Desert. Northern Africa, which includes Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia, is considered part of the Arab world (see Figure 8-2). In addition to unemployment, there is widespread corruption, and business 