ConvergencIA Data Center Forum 2026- 17 de noviembre
Monday, April 19, 2021

Connectivity increased in 2020 and fiber optic connections grew 62%

The statistical series provided by the Undersecretariat of Telecommunications reveal that the growth of fiber optic connections of 62% exceeds the average of the OECD member countries, which is 13.5%. 40.9% of all fixed connections are through fiber optics. Subtel attributes this achievement to the public-private investments that allowed doubling the kilometers of fiber optic available nationwide, from 18,000 to 36,000 km between Fibra Óptica Nacional and Fibra Óptica Austral.

There was also a 10.3% increase in fixed internet accesses, which reached 3.79 million as of December 2020, highlighting the growth of residential connections with 12.5%, which represented the largest annual increase since 2009 Commercial fixed connections registered a drop of 6.5%.

Mobile Internet grew 37.6% between 2019 and 2020. 3G + 4G mobile accesses reached 20.5 million, with a growth of 8.1% in the last 12 months, that is, 1,532,040 new accesses. 4G connections represent 90.4% of mobile internet accesses, with 18.5 million connections.

In mobile telephony, the growth trend of contract subscribers continues, reaching 14.9 million numbers as of December 2020, obtaining an increase of 11.3% compared to the 13.4 million registered in 2019. Prepaid subscribers, on the other hand, registered 10.1 million numbers, thus decreasing 12.9% compared to the 11.6 million recorded in 2019.

Fixed telephony continued its downward trend since 2016. As of December 2020, lines decreased by 6.6% in the last 12 months.

Pay television registered an increase of 1.4%, reaching a penetration of 16.7 subscribers per 100 inhabitants and 57.8% of households.

In Chile there are 55.2 million telecommunications services as of December 2020, a figure higher than the 54 million in 2019.

Last news and analysis

Colombia · Data Center · Operators

28/08/2026

Claro to invest US$25.5 million to expand its data centers

Globales · Hardware · Data Center

28/08/2026

Nvidia pauses revenue-sharing deals with AI cloud companies

América Latina · Submarine Cables

27/08/2026

Liberty Networks aims to transform communications in Venezuela

Convergencialatina spoke with Axael Arteaga, Liberty Networks’ Senior Director of Wholesale Sales, following the announcement of the Fénix cable, which will connect Venezuela with Curaçao. He details the technical characteristics of the new system and how it will connect to the operator’s regional network.

América Latina · Satellites

26/08/2026

Latin American regulators face D2D: initial exploration, NTN and WRC-27 in focus

The development of D2D services has begun to shift Latin America’s regulatory debate from traditional satellite connectivity toward the integration of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. This scenario was highlighted at the Satellite Map Day 2026 event, held by Convergencialatina in June, and in the 29th edition of the Satellite Map in Latin America.

América Latina · Spectrum

25/08/2026

Comtelca advances spectrum management discussions ahead of WRC-27

The Regional Telecommunications Technical Commission (Comisión Técnica Regional de Telecomunicaciones, Comtelca) is a specialized body of the Central American Integration System (Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana, SICA). Convergencialatina spoke with Comtelca Deputy Secretary Alejandro Herrera about the organization’s participation in the upcoming 13th Latin American Spectrum Management Conference, to be held in Costa Rica, and the challenges of spectrum harmonization in the region.

Search news