"Mexico is still in the early stages of mobile Internet capabilities and adoption, but customer demand for it is growing rapidly," AT&T chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson said in a press release announcing the deal on Friday. Iusacell, Mexico's third-largest mobile carrier, would complement the satellite TV operations in Mexico and other Latin American countries that AT&T would gain through the pending $67.1 billion purchase of DirecTV Group Inc. Though AT&T had indicated an interest in Latin America, a purchase of assets from Carlos Slim Helu's Amrica Mvil SA had seemed more likely.