In late April, just two weeks after its general manager has denied vigorously its interest in the business, Tigo launched its satellite TV service in the country. For said purpose, it used the new brand Tigo Star and aimed to meet the cable strategy for densely populated areas and satellite for depopulated ones which Millicom regional executive, Martin Lewerth, had advanced to Convergencialatina -it should be recalled that the company already offered TV cable as from November 2013, when it bought Multivision-.

Later on it was the time for the Empresa Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (Entel), in mid-June, and it was well received: in just two days, it made 60 connections and received more than 500 applications. However, the strategies of both operators are different.

For Tigo, the bet is for quality and for the availability of HD channels without the need to purchase Premium packages. In addition, its executives emphasize that it is the only service of its kind fully digitalized.

Meanwhile, managers of Entel said their strategy is to reach every household in Bolivia with affordable prices. For that, they have a great advantage: they have hired 58% of the capacity offered by the Túpac Katari (TKSAT-1)satellite, which allows them to provide the service at a lower cost.

Thanks to this, Entel basic package, which has 61 channels, has a cost of US$8.7; and the cost of the most expensive one, with 102 channels, is US$26.3. By contrast, the costs of Tigo packages, which have 55 and 65 channels, amount to US$23.3 and US$29.3, respectively.

Furthermore, coverage achieved from the TKSAT-1 signal is better than that provided by Tigo.

Cotel, the other entrant. Along with the two main players in the Bolivian market, the Cooperativa de Teléfonos de La Paz (COTEL) also enteredin recent months into the segment of satellite television.

Although its basic plan, having 62 channels, costs more than twice that of Entel, its 102 channels service costs exactly the same as that of the State company. The cooperative has a special offer for rural areas which includes 18 channels at only US$8.5.

However, the biggest advantage of Cotel has to do with the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 broadcast rights in the Bolivian capital. While they will broadcast all matches for their customers -even in HD if extra packages are hired -, Tigo will not broadcast any of them and Entel just five.

TuVes changed owner and is renewed. TuVes Chilean company, which already offered the service of Direct to Home Television (DTH) in the country, was acquired by the Venezuelan Inter group and began providing service in Bolivia with a new name: Inter Satelital. Thus, the company now operates with two different brands, but aims at quickly migrating all its customers to the latter.

The plan of the new Inter Satelital includes 100 channels and costs US$24.48. Meanwhile, the old brand TuVes continues offering packages of 70 channels at US$22.74 and of 80 channels at US$30.85.

The strategy of this operator is more similar to that of Tigo, with lots of HD signals included in its plans -including five in its classic offers and eight in the new one-.