At a Glance: Chile's biggest 5G operation

A year after launching 5G operations, Entel Chile now has 1.08mn customers who are able to access its 5G network and around 10% of its clients are making use of the technology, according to a company statement.

Official statistics from regulator Subtel for September show that Entel has taken the lead in 5G connections in the country, with some 737,512 5G connections, followed by Movistar with 459,430 and WOM with 389,581.

Entel was the first operator to complete 100% deployment of the first stage of its nationwide 5G network with coverage in 270 districts of the country. The company previously outlined that it would invest US$350mn in 2021-23 to deploy 5G services.

The company is already advancing with the second stage of the deployment, which involves reaching more than 300 sites with 5G, including nearly 200 public hospitals, 24 ministries, 16 municipalities, 15 airports or aerodromes, 25 universities, 19 seaports and seven scientific facilities.

5G DATA TRAFFIC

Of the 270 districts that have 5G coverage provided by Entel, those that have the greatest 5G traffic are Las Condes (119,092GB), Santiago (91,326GB), Providencia (53,576GB ), La Florida (27,594GB) and Ñuñoa (22,427GB), according to a company report published in November.   

Meanwhile, at the national level, the cities of Temuco (12,772GB), Viña del Mar (10,947GB), Rancagua (9,684GB), Iquique (9,174GB) and Antofagasta (8,636 GB) also stand out.

According to the operator, the average Entel customer consumes 20.7GB per month, with 5.4GB via the 5G network.

Chilean users use the new mobile technology for applications similar to those they use via 4G, such as social networks and streaming. 

With the deployment of the second phase of Entel's 5G network, new use cases are expected to emerge in industry, health, smart cities and other sectors.

The company already has an agreement with Ericsson to integrate the Swedish provider's private standalone 5G solution into its offering. Entel will therefore be a distributor, reseller and integrator of Ericsson 5G equipment for companies.

Entel currently offers 89 mobile phone models that can connect to the 5G network. These devices now account for 57% of sales.