President announces that Entel is preparing the implementation of 5G in the country

Entel press release

This is an automated translation of the original press release issued in Spanish

Sucre, May 2, 2023.- President Luis Arce Catacora announced this Monday that the National Telecommunications Company (ENTEL SA) is preparing the implementation in the country of the fifth generation of wireless communications technology, better known as 5G.

"Now that ENTEL is in its 15th anniversary, we must announce to the public, to public opinion, to the Bolivian people, that we are studying the way to enter 5G technology in Bolivia," he said, at the commemoration of 15 years of the nationalization of the telecommunications company, which was carried out in the Cultural Center "La Sombrerería" in the city of Sucre.

The president said that the application of the new technological system will require a strong investment from the nationalized company, because it must be accompanied by the improvement and updating of Radio Base stations so that its signal reaches its true dimension, as is the case in several countries that already they have 5G.

The Head of State indicated that the work of ENTEL SA continues in progress so that its Mobile Telephony "reaches the entire country", because the combination of social service plus economic efficiency is its main challenge so that all Bolivians are communicated.

“Precisely this fact has saved lives (…) In many places where people had gotten lost, where they did not know where to go, they had an ENTEL signal and could at least communicate with the telephone network. And that is ENTEL for us, not only a machine for making money, but also a machine for doing social service for Bolivian men and women," he said.

In an evaluation of the achievements of the last 15 years, the president highlighted the technological success of ENTEL SA, since it has more than 6 million Mobile Telephony users, 20,100 localities with coverage, 10,200 Radio Base stations and 33,200 km of communication networks. optical fiber.

Likewise, he emphasized his financial achievements, because his patrimony is estimated at $1,661 million, more than 301% in relation to 2007, and since his nationalization he made an investment of more than Bs 18,100 million for technological infrastructure.

Regarding his social role, Arce stressed that his contribution was Bs 5,200 million for Dignity Income and allocated more than Bs 680 million in the case of the Juancito Pinto Bonus, within the framework of the productive community social economic model that allows companies to have efficient public institutions that fulfill the leading role of generating wealth for the country's income redistribution policies.

The General Manager of ENTEL SA, Eng. Roy Méndez, stated that the nationalized company will continue with its leadership in its field, with the application of the mandate of President Luis Arce to reach the entire country with telecommunications.

The head of the nationalized company also mentioned that the economic growth of that entity will continue and preserve its contributions to the Dignity Income and the payment of the Juancito Pinto Bonus.

"President, we are fighting by your side here and we are fighting so that all Bolivians have access to communication (...) Those are our objectives and we are sure that under your leadership and leadership we will achieve it," he stressed.