2022 sees 5G record with more than two million users

Press release from Subtel 

This is a machine translation of the original release issued in Spanish

December 26, 2022

In an unprecedented event, in its first year of operation in the country, the 5G network will close in 2022 with more than two million users, being the deployment with the highest adoption in the history of Chilean mobile telephony.

In this way, all the regional and provincial capitals of Chile already have access to the new network, as do other areas, positioning the country on a good footing for the following technology deployments associated with 5G.

The Minister of Transport, Juan Carlos Muñoz, pointed out that "having more than two million users of the 5G network is a sign of our users' interest in new technologies and their rapid adoption. It also reflects the attractiveness of the Chilean telecommunications sector and its rapid ability to adapt to new developments. As MTT we are very happy to contribute to this technological advance that will allow the country to join the digital revolution in time”.

The Undersecretary of Telecommunications, Claudio Araya, pointed out that “this is unprecedented growth in the telecommunications sector. Now in terms of deployment we are in the top 3 of the OECD countries and we are the first country in the region to carry out a deployment throughout the territory. Undoubtedly, this is good news for what is to come, which are the technological deployments associated with the new network and where we have a great advantage by having the network deployed throughout Chile that will allow a large part of the users to access to future developments.

The authority added regarding the future challenges related to the new 5G network that "we hope that the first stage of deployment will be completed soon and that soon we will announce a new spectrum contest for 5G and thus strengthen our network, include more users and deliver a service that allows to solve and improve the connectivity of users and the different productive sectors of Chile”.

The companies that are deploying the network throughout the country also gave their vision regarding this historic number of users.

“Our commitment has always been to bring 5G closer to the largest number of people, in the shortest possible time, because we understand connectivity as a basic enabler for the inclusion of people, contributing to the development of the country. Thus, the speed of deployment of this technology has been significantly faster than in previous experiences. In any case, the consolidation of 5G will be seen gradually, to the extent that the network is consolidated and the next stages of deployment are established," said Entel's Manager of Regulation and Corporate Affairs, Manuel Araya.

For his part, Fernando Saiz, Director of Public Affairs of Movistar Chile, commented that: "from Movistar Chile, in about 10 months we were able to successfully address the challenge of 5G connectivity, one of the most relevant technological advances for the country, and which adds to our deployment of fiber optics nationwide. In this way, today we already have the 5G sites corresponding to the first phase deployed and delivered on time. In this way, we were able to deliver mobile connectivity of the highest standard to users in the 16 regions of the country, from Arica to Porvenir, which confirms the relevance of public-private partnerships to reduce the digital divide. We expect to continue growing, through greater adoption and democratization of 5G cell phones over the next year, which already represent half of our equipment sales.

Meanwhile Catalina Achermann, VP of corporate affairs and sustainability of WOM, said that "we are proud to lead a historic deployment of a project of a magnitude never seen before in the industry in Chile. For the first time, a company is simultaneously deploying infrastructure on three frequencies (700 MHz, AWS-E and 3.5 GHz) with a very ambitious project that will positively impact people's lives by delivering better service, expanding deployment and coverage offered nationwide. We are very happy to reach the most isolated areas of the country. We hope that this technology will soon be consolidated and expanded, allowing the country to reap its benefits for development and shorten the digital divide."