Movistar Colombia
Movistar Colombia is a leading Colombian telecommunications operator providing mobile, fixed-line, broadband and TV services, now owned by Millicom.
Founded
1947Movistar Colombia is a leading Colombian telecommunications operator providing mobile, fixed-line, broadband and TV services, now owned by Millicom.
Millicom reported that it completed a tender offer to acquire Telefónica’s controlling stake in Colombia Telecomunicaciones (Coltel), and that it intended to pursue the remaining shares through a government-led privatization process. The communication frames the transaction as moving the operating company toward full control by Millicom rather than continued shared ownership.
In Millicom’s framing, the value case is tied to accelerating network upgrades and expanding fiber and 5G deployment, which implies sustained capital allocation and integration work after the ownership transfer. From an outside perspective, the key uncertainty is how those investment priorities translate into customer-visible quality and pricing outcomes while the group manages two major consumer telecom brands in Colombia.
Movistar Colombia offers a convergent telecom portfolio built around mobile, fixed broadband, pay television, and enterprise services. Consumer mobile spans prepaid (prepago), postpaid (pospago), and a Prepos migration tier that moves prepaid users to postpaid with discounted monthly rates. Fixed access is delivered chiefly over fiber under the Internet Hogar brand, bundled with mobile lines in the Movistar Total convergent offer.
The product mix is positioned as a mid-market alternative to Claro and Tigo, emphasizing data-centric plans, Wi-Fi calling, unlimited domestic minutes, international calling to the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, and shared-data allowances. Postpaid tiers range from a 60 GB plan to unlimited-data plans, with higher tiers adding roaming data across dozens of countries. Enterprise customers are served with IoT, cloud, cybersecurity, and data analytics offerings.
Colombia's mobile market is concentrated among Claro, the combined Tigo-Movistar, and smaller challengers such as WOM. With Millicom's acquisition, the enlarged Tigo entity becomes the second-largest mobile operator by subscribers, though it remains behind Claro. Regulatory approval came with strict conditions: wholesale RAN and MVNO rate discounts, transparency rules for bundled offers, and pricing safeguards in 82 municipalities where competition was deemed at risk, all overseen for four years or until sector-specific rules are issued.
The strategic rationale for Millicom is scale-based efficiency and accelerated investment in fiber and 5G, but execution risk is high because the same parent now controls two consumer-facing brands that were direct rivals. Regulators will scrutinize network integration and any reduction in effective retail competition. For Movistar Colombia specifically, the outlook depends on whether Millicom preserves it as a distinct challenger brand or gradually folds it into Tigo, and on how quickly the company can convert its large mobile base into higher-value fixed-mobile convergent customers.
Movistar Colombia's principal competitive asset is its large, established mobile subscriber base and nationwide brand recognition built over decades under Telefónica. Its fixed network has repeatedly ranked fastest in Colombia by Ookla's Speedtest, giving it a credible quality claim in home broadband. A broad distribution footprint and a convergent product architecture that bundles mobile, fiber, TV, and streaming add-ons help anchor household spending and reduce churn.
Under Millicom ownership, the operator gains access to greater spectrum depth, shared infrastructure, and procurement scale, which could improve cost structure and investment capacity relative to standalone rivals. The company's enterprise division adds sticky B2B relationships through IoT, cloud, cybersecurity, and data analytics services. Against Claro's larger scale and Tigo's historically strong urban footprint, Movistar's positioning rests on perceived network quality, brand trust, and the breadth of its fixed-mobile bundle.
The consolidation of Movistar Colombia under Millicom alongside Tigo-UNE increases regulatory scrutiny because authorities explicitly highlighted risks of higher concentration in mobile and fixed markets. The CRC pointed to potential coordinated effects and higher retail prices as outcomes that require mitigation.
The regulator also emphasized risks in wholesale mobile access, including impacts on MVNOs and operators that rely on national automatic roaming, which can translate into constraints on network integration and commercial strategy. Scale benefits may be limited by the need to preserve non-discriminatory wholesale conditions and comparable consumer offers.
Movistar Colombia monetizes primarily through consumer subscriptions, using tiered mobile and fixed plans rather than usage-based pricing. Postpaid mobile is anchored by three monthly tiers: a 60 GB plan, an unlimited-data plan, and a premium unlimited plan that adds international roaming data. All include unlimited domestic voice and SMS and unlimited calling to the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
Prepaid users buy recharges and data packages, and the Prepos tier offers a discounted four-month bridge from prepaid to postpaid. Fixed broadband is sold by speed tier, with fiber plans centered on a 500 Mbps offer bundled with entertainment services. The Movistar Total convergent bundle discounts the combination of home internet and a postpaid mobile line, while enterprise revenue comes from contracted connectivity and digital services.