Claro Colombia eyes 10mn homes passed with fiber this year

Claro Colombia will invest US$25mn in plans to pass 10mn homes with fiber this year and add 20 localities to the 115 it already serves, CEO Carlos Zenteno told BNamericas.

The coverage plan is advancing rapidly. “Last year, we reached Pitalito, El Rosal, Pamplona, Aguachica, Chigorodó, Carepa, Turbo, Urabá and Gachancipá, to name a few. In addition, we put into operation the submarine cable for San Andrés, marking a before and after in the history of telecoms services on the island,” Zenteno said.

Competition is rising countrywide, but mainly in Bogotá, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Bucaramanga, Medellín, Cali and Ibagué, Zenteno said.

In its 4Q22 report, Claro's parent, América Móvil, reported a 3.6% drop in fixed line revenues due to "strong competition in the broadband segment," with billing contracting by 12.8% compared to the same period of the previous year.

"The key to growing in the market is to offer the customer greater added value and the best experience of using the service," Zenteno added, which is why Claro invests in its own fiber optics networks and does not use neutral networks.

"We do not use a sharing format with other operators. The network is completely our own, which gives us advantages and has allowed us to guarantee the experience for our customers," he said.

Claro Colombia operated 9.2mn fixed lines (broadband, TV, telephony) last year, up 4.2%. The company was the main operator of fixed internet services with 3.2mn connections, followed by Tigo (1.7mn) and Telefónica (1.2mn), according to latest figures by regulator CRC.