Despite promising opportunities in the over-the-top (OTT) and mobile video markets, less than 300,000 subscribers are paying for a LTE line, according to the latest figures.
Now, leading operator Moviltel, which has 13.5 million subscribers and nearly half the mobile user base, is entering the market in a bid to boost subscriber numbers. For months, the public telco had been announcing the move, which has just been confirmed by Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, during his weekly address.
“The first phase of the project has started with 221 broadcasting towers covering 1,700 towns,” said Jaqueline Faría, president, Movilnet. “We will enter the second phase during 2017.”
The technology has been deployed thanks to the investment plan signed in early 2015 with Huawei and ZTE.
4G mobile communications are also available in the country through Digitel, which launched its service in 2013, and Telefónica’s Movistar, which introduced 4G+ to the market in February 2015.