VTR migrates postpaid base to 4G LTE

Chilean cable TV and mobile opeator VTR, a unit of Liberty Global, will migrate all of its postpaid mobile subscribers to 4G LTE at no additional cost.

Existing customers need only have a 4G-compatible phone with an updated operating system. Plans start from 12.990 pesos (US$20).

According to the company, VTR is the first operator in the market to offer 4G LTE to all of its postpaid customers.

Postpaid clients represent 94.6% of the firm's total subscriber base.

According to the most recent report by telecoms regulator Subtel, in March VTR had 117,490 postpaid subscribers, making it the sixth largest player in the market.

VTR's move will have been pressured by the entry of two new players to the already crowded mobile space in Chile: WOM, which is the former operations of Nextel Chile and is owned by European investor group Innovator, launched earlier this month with highly competitive data plans and is promising 4G services by year-end.

In June, a new MVNO called Simple also entered the fray. It aims to strip down the model and offer the customer a no-frills service with online top-ups, no handsets, no points of sale, and just a single tariff.

Subtel has said it expects to see record levels of people porting their numbers in 2015 boosted by new market entrants and more informed customers.

Chile already has six MVNOs.

VTR won spectrum in the AWS (1.7-2.1GHz) band in 2009 and in 2012 launched a hybrid service using its own network and a roaming contract with Movistar.

In 2013, VTR abandoned its network in favor in operating as an MVNO through an agreement with Movistar.