According to a report by the Colombian telecoms regulator, the CRT, the number of wirelines in the country fell by 11% in the first quarter of the year to 5.28 million. The fall is being blamed on the disconnection of non-paying customers, the knock on effects of high tariffs and the wider uptake of wireless services. According to the report, call charges in the country have grown by 15% year-on-year between 2000 and 2005.
In a separate, but related, story Colombia Telecomunicaciones will enter the wireless market in December. The company is reportedly considering three entrance strategies; becoming an MVNO, becoming a reseller or merging its operations with an established wireless operator.