Chile, a long, narrow country stretching along South America's western edge, presents unique challenges and opportunities in terms of technology and telecommunications. With its diverse geography ranging from deserts in the north to mountains and glaciers in the south, the country has developed distinctive infrastructure solutions to cater to its nearly 20 million inhabitants distributed unevenly across its territory. The telecom sector is among the most advanced in Latin America, and Chile consistently ranks high in terms of penetration of telecommunication services. Particular emphasis has been put on improving connectivity in rural and remote areas with the Fibra Optica Austral project, aiming to extend fibre-optic infrastructure in the southern regions. The country also shows a strong commitment to renewable energies and has become a leading site for solar and wind energy developments thanks to its favourable climatic conditions. Innovative tech start-ups have been leveraged to boost the renewable sector, demonstrating Chile’s potential as a tech hub. Key challenges remain with maintaining these services in natural disaster-prone areas, an issue the country is addressing through resilient infrastructure and strategies.
Mobile Network Operators
The are 4 companies operating mobile networks in this region.
Claro Chile is the third largest telecommunications company that operates within Chile. Claro began operations as Smartcom PCS, rebranding to Claro in mid-2006 following its acquisition by América Móvil in August 2005. Claro Chile is a subsidiary of América Móvil S.A.B. de C.V, an international telecommunications group with operations in a range of countries throughout South America.
Entel Chile is the largest telecommunications company in Chile, established in 1964 by the Chilean government with the objective to improve long distance communications, enhance telecommunications quality within the country, and construct a robust network infrastructure to replace the old one damaged by an earthquake. The company was initially involved in data transmission and communications service, and long-distance telecommunications. It also constructed the National Centre for Telecommunications, also known as Torre Entel in Santiago, which serves as the central node. The privatisation...
Movistar Chile is a telecommunications company operating in Chile. The company is a subsidiary of Telefónica, a Spanish multinational telecommunications company. Movistar Chile provides a range of services including landline, broadband, mobile services, and pay television. The Movistar brand has been active in the global market since 1995, following the launch of GSM services in Spain. However, it wasn't until April 5, 2005, that the brand became globally recognised, after Telefónica acquired the BellSouth mobile operations in South America.
WOM is a telecommunications company operating in Chile. Established in 2015, it is owned by Novator Partners LLP, a British private equity investment firm. The firm is based in London and is owned by Björgólfur Thor Björgólfsson. WOM has quickly established itself as a key player in the Chilean telecommunications market, offering mobile telephony and internet services.