Colombian mobile market booming

According to Colombian telecoms regulator the CRT, there were more than 18 million mobile phone subscribers in the country at the end of 2005, up from 10.413 million a year previously. The CRT found that Comunicación Celular (Comcel) had a 62% market share, whilst Telefónica Móviles Colombia (Movistar) accounted for 28% of the market, and Colombia Móvil (Ola) controlled the remaining 10%. Mobile operators’ combined sales rose 52% in the year to reach an estimated COP5.6 trillion (USD2.45 billion), up from COP3.7 trillion in 2004. Comparatively, revenues from fixed line services in 2005 totaled COP4.2 trillion, up from COP3.8 trillion the year before.