Movistar to Invest US$3mn in Localized Coverage Expansion

Movistar Colombia, a mobile unit of Spain's Telefónica, plans to invest at least US$3mn in installing new cellular base stations in southeastern Colombia, local newspaper El Nuevo Día quoted a Movistar executive as saying.

According to the report, the company will install around 18 base stations, 10 in the department of Tolima, five in Huila department and three in the Caquetá department, the paper quoted the company's general manager for southeastern Colombia Jenny Durán as saying.

"With these new antennas, the coverage of the [Tolima] department will be around 84%," Durán said. The company expects the installations to be ready in 90 days.

Movistar has experienced strong growth in the Tolima department, expanding its customer base to the current 223,000 subscribers from 123,000 at the end of 2005. The company expects to have 300,000 subscribers by year-end.

Nationally Movistar had 7.55mn subscribers at the end of the first quarter of 2007, which was down 2.55% compared to the end of last year."

Posted to the site on 11th May 2007