Colombian telco Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Bogota (ETB) is poised to switch on commercial 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) services this week, Portafolio.co reports, citing a media statement from company president Saul Kattan Cohen. Although the announcement lacks coverage details, unconfirmed local media reports have suggested that the telco will initially offer 4G in 41 municipalities across the country, including Bogota, Barranquilla, Caldas, Bucaramanga, Envigado, Medellin, Sabaneta and Santa Marta.
According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, ETB purchased 30MHz of 1700MHz/2100MHz spectrum in June 2013 in partnership with Tigo Colombia. With the new frequencies, ETB aims to transition from providing virtual services to becoming a full-fledged LTE network operator. The telco, which is majority owned by the Bogota district government, currently offers fixed voice services, alongside ADSL and fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband connectivity.