Ecuadorian state-owned operator Corporacion Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (CNT) and Telefonica’s Movistar Ecuador have concluded an Automatic National Roaming agreement to provide customers in 18 provinces with greater 4G LTE coverage. Within the framework of the government’s Digital Ecuador strategy to boost connectivity, the two operators have agreed to share access to 94 cell sites (59 owned by CNT and 35 by Movistar) in order to increase 4G coverage and future access to 5G services. CNT will share 13 base transceiver stations (BTS) in coastal areas (Esmeraldas, Manabi, Los Rios and El Oro), 34 in the mountains (Carchi, Pichincha, Cotopaxi, Tungurahua, Chimborazo, Bolivar, Canar, Azuay and Loja), and twelve in the Amazon (Sucumbios, Orellana, Morona Santiago and Zamora Chinchipe), while Telefonica Movistar will provide access to 26 antennas on the coast (Esmeraldas, Manabi and Guayas) and nine in the mountains (Pichincha, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas and Cotopaxi).
Commenting on the agreement, Martha Moncayo, General Manager of CNT said: ‘This inter-institutional effort is part of the tariff infrastructure sharing agreement, which seeks to optimise investment by companies for the benefit of rural areas of the country, promoting continuous innovation in the offer of services and networks, with the aim of satisfying the needs of society.’ Luis Bentuil, CEO of Telefonica Movistar Ecuador, added: ‘The agreement will generate more inclusion in the Ecuadorian population. We are proud to reinforce this type of alliance with CNT as an efficient alternative to have sustainable networks in Ecuador.’