Ecuador Telecoms Market Report

Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Last updated: 1 Dec 2021 Update History

Report Pages: 160

Analyst: Henry Lancaster

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Summary
Table Of Contents

CNT to modernise LTE infrastructure and install a 5G non standalone network

In common with several other mid-sized countries in the region, Ecuador has a small telecom market dominated by the mobile sector. The evolution of the market has been influenced by the poor fixed-line infrastructure, which has stymied the development of fixed-line broadband services. To some extent poor infrastructure has been the result of topographical challenges which have rendered the cost of deploying networks to remote and mountainous areas prohibitive.

Although Ecuador has seven fixed-line operators and a large number of ISPs, the state-owned incumbent CNT leads the fixed-line market, and thus also the fixed broadband market.

The mobile sector is shared by América Móvil’s Conecel (trading as Claro), which has a 54.8% share of the market by subscribers, Telefónica’s Otecel (trading as Movistar) with about 30.7% of the market, and CNT (previously Telecsa/Alegro) with a share of 14.5%. Thus far the MVNO sector has been slow to develop, partly because the incumbent operators also have their low-cost brands and thus there is little business case for new market entrants.

The government is keen to advance universalisation and improve teledensity, and it is expected that CNT will continue its efforts to expand the country’s fixed-line infrastructure. At the same time, a national broadband plan has been implemented to expand and improve internet access for all Ecuadoreans. The fixed broadband market – including DSL, cable modem and fibre-based services – should continue to grow strongly in coming years, with an anticipated focus on fibre as networks are built out from the more densely populated urban areas. The mobile broadband market is also expected to grow strongly as network operators expand the reach of their LTE services.

BuddeComm notes that the Covid-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on the telecoms market. On the consumer side, spending on telecoms services and devices is under pressure from the financial effect of large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes. However, the crucial nature of telecom services, both for general communication as well as a tool for home-working, has offset such pressures. In many markets the net effect has been a reduced (and sometimes negative) subscriber growth, which will continue into 2021.

Overall progress towards 5G has been postponed or curtailed in some countries.

Although it is challenging to predict and interpret the long-term impacts of the crisis as it develops, these have been acknowledged in the industry forecasts contained in this report.

The report also covers the responses of the telecom operators as well as government agencies and regulators as they react to the crisis to ensure that citizens can continue to make optimum use of telecom services. This can be reflected in subsidy schemes and the promotion of tele-health and tele-education, among other solutions.

Key developments:

CNT selects Nokia to modernise existing LTE infrastructure and install a 5G non standalone (NSA) network;
Reforms are passed amending the 2015 Telecommunications Law;
Regulator enables online approval process for cell phones and other terminal equipment, starts negotiating process for renewal of mobile licenses held by Movistar and Claro;
BT Group completes the sale of its operations and infrastructure in Latin America to CIH Telecommunications Americas;
Liberty Latin America enters talks with Telefónica to acquire its assets in Colombia and Ecuador;
CNT considers the sale of its tower assets to focus on fibre deployment;
Mintel initiates programs to provide Wi-Fi to parishes without connectivity;
Fifty-two percent of municipalities to provide free internet access points by end-2021;
Report update includes the regulator’s market data to September 2021, telcos’ operating data to Q3 2021, updated Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, recent market developments.

Companies mentioned in this report:

Corporacion Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (CNT), Nokia, BT Global Services, BT Group, Liberty Latin America (LLA), Etapa, TVCable (Suratel), Claro (Ecuador Telecom/Telmex), Linkotel, Etapa Telecom, Global Crossing, Grupo Coripar, Starsat, Ministry of Telecoms & Information Society (Mintel), Movistar, PuntoNet, Ecuanet/Megadatos. Easynet, Trans-telco, EmpresaEléctrica Regional Centrosur, Sencinet, Telxius, Tower One Wireless, Transelectric, Telconet

Key statistics
Regional Latin America market comparison

Market characteristics
Market Leaders
Market Challengers
Market Emergents
TMI versus GDP
Mobile and mobile broadband penetration
Fixed versus mobile broadband penetration

Country overview
Covid-19 and its impact on the telecom sector

Economic considerations and responses
Subscribers
Infrastructure

Telecommunications market

Historical overview
Market analysis
National Plan for Good Living 2013-2017

Regulatory environment

Historical overview
Regulatory authority
Fixed-line developments

Interconnect
Anti-Monopoly Law of 2011
Telecommunications Law – 2013
Telecommunications Law – 2015
Homologation

Mobile market developments

Mobile licence renewals
SIM card registration
Infrastructure sharing
Mobile Number Portability (MNP)
Quality of Service (QoS) measures
LTE licenses – 2015

Mobile market

Mobile statistics
Mobile infrastructure

5G
LTE
3G
GSM/CDMA
Other infrastructure
Mobile data
Mobile broadband

Major mobile operators

Claro (Conecel)
Movistar (Otecel)
CNT

Mobile Virtual Network operators (MVNOs)
Mobile content and applications

M-banking
Satellite mobile services

Fixed broadband

Introduction
National Broadband Plan
Government support
Market analysis
Broadband statistics
Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) networks
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks
Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP) networks
Other fixed broadband services

Broadband Powerline (BPL)

Digital economy

Government programs
Emergency services

Fixed network operators

Introduction
CNT
Etapa

Telecommunications infrastructure

Overview of the national telecom network

Fixed-line statistics

International infrastructure

Submarine cable networks
Satellite

Wholesale
Smart infrastructure

Smart grids

Appendix – Historic data
Glossary of abbreviations
Related reports

List of Tables

Table 1 – Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities - Ecuador – 2021 (e)
Table 2 – Evolution of GDP in Ecuador – 2011 – 2021
Table 3 – Change in the share of fixed-line and mobile connections – 2011 – 2021
Table 4 – Development of telecom revenue – 2011 – 2019
Table 5 – Annual mobile numbers ported – 2009 – 2021
Table 6 – Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration – 2011 – 2026
Table 7 – Change in the proportion of prepaid and postpaid subscribers – 2011 – 2021
Table 8 – Change in the number of mobile prepaid and postpaid subscribers (million) – 2011 – 2021
Table 9 – Revenue from mobile telephony services – 2011 – 2019
Table 10 – Change in the proportion of mobile subscribers by technology – 2011 – 2021
Table 11 – Change in the number of mobile subscribers by technology – 2011 – 2021
Table 12 – Growth in the number of base stations by operator – 2013 – 2021
Table 13 – Growth in the number of LTE subscribers by operator – 2014 – 2020
Table 14 – Growth in the number of LTE base stations by operator – 2013 – 2020
Table 15 – SMS traffic – 2011 – 2019
Table 16 – Growth in the number of mobile broadband subscribers and penetration – 2011 – 2026
Table 17 – Change in the number of mobile broadband subscribers by operator – 2014 – 2021
Table 18 – Change in the market share of mobile broadband subscribers by operator – 2014 – 2021
Table 19 – Change in the market share of mobile subscribers by operator – 2011 – 2021
Table 20 – Change in the number of Claro Ecuador’s mobile subscribers – 2011 – 2021
Table 21 – Development of Claro Ecuador’s financial data ($ million) – 2009 – 2021
Table 22 – Development of Claro Ecuador’s revenue by type ($ million) – 2011 – 2021
Table 23 – Change in the number of Movistar Ecuador’s mobile subscribers – 2011 – 2021
Table 24 – Growth in the number of CNT’s mobile subscribers – 2011 – 2021
Table 25 – Change in the number of fixed and mobile internet subscribers – 2010 – 2021
Table 26 – Fixed and mobile internet subscriber penetration – 2010 – 2021
Table 27 – Change in the share of fixed internet connections by major operator - 2011 – 2021
Table 28 – Cable broadband subscribers – 2011 – 2021
Table 29 – DSL subscribers – 2011 – 2021
Table 30 – FttP subscribers – 2011 – 2021
Table 31 – Change in the market share of fixed lines in service by operator – 2011 – 2021
Table 32 – Change in the number of CNT’s fixed lines in service – 2011 – 2021
Table 33 – Change in the number of Etapa’s fixed lines in service – 2011 – 2021
Table 34 – Decline in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity – 2011 – 2026
Table 35 – Revenue from fixed telephony services – 2011 – 2018
Table 36 – International bandwidth – 2011 – 2020
Table 37 – Historic - Evolution of GDP in Ecuador – 2000 – 2010
Table 38 – Historic - Fixed and mobile market share - 1997 – 2010
Table 39 – Historic - Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1997 – 2010
Table 40 – Historic - Mobile prepaid/postpaid ratio – 2002 – 2010
Table 41 – Historic - Mobile prepaid and postpaid subscribers – 2008 – 2010
Table 42 – Historic - Revenue from mobile telephony services – 2006 – 2010
Table 43 – Historic - SMS traffic – 2008 – 2010
Table 44 – Historic - Proportion of mobile subscribers by technology – 2001 – 2010
Table 45 – Historic - Mobile subscribers by technology – 2003 – 2010
Table 46 – Historic - Mobile operators’ market share – 1997 – 2010
Table 47 – Historic - Claro Ecuador mobile subscribers – 1997 – 2010
Table 48 – Historic - Movistar – mobile subscribers – 1997 – 2010
Table 49 – Historic - CNT – mobile subscribers – 2003 – 2010
Table 50 – Historic - Internet users and penetration – 1998 – 2016
Table 51 – Historic - Fixed internet market share of subscribers – major operators – 2008 – 2010
Table 52 – Historic - Cable broadband subscribers – 2008 – 2010
Table 53 – Historic - DSL subscribers – 2008 – 2010
Table 54 – Historic - Fixed lines in service – operators’ market share – 2001 – 2010
Table 55 – Historic - CNT – lines in service – 2001 – 2010
Table 56 – Historic - Etapa – lines in service – 2001 – 2010
Table 57 – Historic - Fixed lines in service and teledensity – 1997 – 2010
Table 58 – Historic - Revenue from fixed telephony services – 2006 – 2010
Table 59 – Historic - International bandwidth – 2002 – 2010

List of Charts

Chart 1 – Latin America Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Leaders
Chart 2 – Latin America Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Challengers
Chart 3 – Latin America Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Emergents
Chart 4 – Latin America - Telecoms Maturity Index vs GDP per capita
Chart 5 – Latin America – Mobile subscriber penetration vs mobile broadband penetration
Chart 6 – South America mobile subscriber penetration vs mobile broadband penetration
Chart 7 – Central America – mobile subscriber penetration vs mobile broadband penetration
Chart 8 – South America – Fixed and mobile broadband penetration
Chart 9 – Central America – Fixed and mobile broadband penetration
Chart 10 – Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration – 2011 – 2026
Chart 11 – Change in the proportion of prepaid and postpaid subscribers – 2011 – 2021
Chart 12 – Change in the number of mobile prepaid and postpaid subscribers – 2011 – 2021
Chart 13 – Change in the proportion of mobile subscribers by technology – 2011 – 2021
Chart 14 – Change in the number of mobile subscribers by technology – 2011 – 2021
Chart 15 – Growth in the number of base stations by operator – 2013 – 2021
Chart 16 – Growth in the number of LTE subscribers by operator – 2014 – 2020
Chart 17 – Growth in the number of LTE base stations by operator – 2013 – 2020
Chart 18 – Growth in the number of mobile broadband subscribers and penetration – 2011 – 2026
Chart 19 – Change in the number of mobile broadband subscribers by operator – 2014 – 2021
Chart 20 – Change in the market share of mobile broadband subscribers by operator – 2014 – 2021
Chart 21 – Change in the market share of mobile subscribers by operator – 2011 – 2021
Chart 22 – Development of Claro Ecuador’s financial data ($ million) – 2009 – 2021
Chart 23 – Development of Claro Ecuador’s revenue by type ($ million) – 2011 – 2021
Chart 24 – Change in the number of fixed and mobile internet subscribers – 2010 – 2021
Chart 25 – Fixed and mobile internet subscriber penetration – 2010 – 2021
Chart 26 – Change in the share of fixed internet connections by major operator - 2011 – 2021
Chart 27 – Change in the market share of fixed lines in service by operator – 2011 – 2021
Chart 28 – Decline in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity – 2011 – 2026

List of Exhibits

Exhibit 1 – Map of Telecom Maturity Index global ranking among countries in Latin America
Exhibit 2 – Generalised Market Characteristics by Market Segment
Exhibit 3 – Latin America – Market Leaders and market developments
Exhibit 4 – Latin America – Market Challengers and market developments
Exhibit 5 – Latin America – Market Emergents and market developments
Exhibit 6 – Map of Ecuador
Exhibit 7 – Submarine cable network links to Ecuador in 2021

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Ecuador Telecoms Market Report

Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Purchase this Report

CNT to modernise LTE infrastructure and install a 5G non standalone network

Key developments:

Companies mentioned in this report:

Key statistics

Regional Latin America market comparison

Country overview

Covid-19 and its impact on the telecom sector

Telecommunications market

Regulatory environment

Mobile market

Fixed broadband

Digital economy

Fixed network operators

Telecommunications infrastructure

Appendix – Historic data

Glossary of abbreviations

Related reports

Purchase this Report

Share this Report

TMT Intelligence

A platform to scale your intelligence tasks

Research Methodology

Hot Topics

News & Views