Chilean operator Entel announced on Friday the successful completion of the second and final phase of its 5G rollout project. Entel shared on its social media platforms that it became the first operator to complete 100 percent of Phase 2 of the 5G project. The company revealed that 311 communes across the country are now equipped with 5G technology. This milestone was unveiled at an event in the town of Victoria (La Araucania), attended by Chile's Minister of Transport and Telecommunications and the Undersecretary of Telecommunications.

Entel Chile 5G now available in all 311 communes

Entel reported that it completed the 5G deployment project two months ahead of schedule. Phase 1 of the project saw 1,105 new base stations activated in 270 Chilean communes, and Phase 2 added 266 new base stations in 41 Chilean communes, bringing the total to 1,371 new base station activations in 311 communes. Entel was the first operator in Chile to deliver 100 percent of the deployment of the first stage of its new 5G network nationwide, covering 270 districts in the country.

Entel emphasized its 5G coverage in all 311 communes, spanning from Putre to Puerto Williams, including Rapa Nui. The company also highlighted its provision of complementary coverage to 5G users through the installation of antennas in aerodromes, airports, scientific interest areas, universities, and ports.

Entel Chile 5G Usage Stats

Entel shared specific details about 5G usage and investment, revealing that 16 percent of its mobile connections as of June 2023 are on the 5G network, with 1,202,736 active 5G customers and 6.97 percent of total traffic on 5G. The company noted that the average monthly consumption of a 5G customer increased by 50 percent in the first six months of the year, with an average monthly consumption of 10GB among Entel 5G users. Regarding investments, Entel announced investing 121.746 million pesos in 4G networks and 172.168 million pesos in 5G during 2023.

Entel has an existing agreement with Ericsson to integrate the Swedish provider's private standalone 5G solutionits offerings.

In October 2022, Entel and Ericsson announced their partnership, with Entel Corp planning to incorporate Ericsson's Private 5G solution and collaborate with communications service providers (CSPs) to deliver it.

At the time of the Standalone 5G (SA 5G) partnership announcement, Ericsson and Entel stated they had worked together to deploy 5G across Chile and conducted a dozen pilots spanning various industries, including health (remote ultrasound), smart factories (remote-controlled robotics), agriculture and forestry (drones with advanced analytics for real-time crop monitoring), and transport management.

With the completion of the second phase of Entel's 5G network, new use cases are expected to emerge in industries such as health, smart cities, and other sectors.