Entel S.A. (acronym for Empresa Nacional de Telecomunicaciones) is a major Bolivian state-owned

telecommunication Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...

s company, headquartered in

La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities ...

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

. Entel was founded on December 22, 1965 by Law Decree N° 7441 as a

joint-stock company A joint-stock company is a business entity in which shares of the company's capital stock, stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their share (finance), shares (certificates ...

with official representation in Bolivia. In 1966 it became a decentralized

public company A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange (l ...

, under the supervision of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Aeronautics. On November 27, 1995,

Telecom Italia Gruppo TIM, legally TIM S.p.A. (formerly Telecom Italia S.p.A.), also known as the TIM Group in English, is an Italian telecommunications company with headquarters in Rome, Milan, and Naples, (with the Telecom Italia Tower) which provides fixe ...

was granted 50% of Entel's shares and management of the company. In addition, the Telecommunications Law (Law No. 1632 of July 5, 1995) granted Entel a six-year monopoly on national and international long-distance telephone services. Telecom Italia, on its part, committed to implement an investment plan totaling US$610 million and to meet the expansion and quality goals defined by the law and by the concession contract. On May 1, 2008, Entel was nationalized by Supreme Decree N° 29544. Bolivia became the owner of 97% of the company's shares through the Ministry of Public Works, Services and Housing; the labor stability of Entel's workers is guaranteed, and as well as the contracts signed with customers and suppliers. The decree orders the transformation of Entel from a

private corporation A privately held company (or simply a private company) is a company whose shares and related rights or obligations are not offered for public subscription or publicly negotiated in the respective listed markets, but rather the company's stock is ...

to a mixed-economy company, disposition not fulfilled to 2021. A milestone was reached in the company's history, due to the launch of the

Túpac Katari 1 Túpac Katari 1 or TKSat-1 is a telecommunications satellite that the government of Bolivia outsourced to People's Republic of China (PRC) to serve telecommunications in Bolivia, such as mobile, television and Internet use. It was launched into ...

satellite that would be beneficial for its coverage in Bolivia, in December 2013. This was Bolivia's first telecommunications satellite and will also improve connection speeds in the process. In September 2017, the company announced that it would enter the Peruvian telecommunications market, and also invest US$60 million in the process. Entel announced that they were creating a

fiber-optic network Fiber-optic communication is a method of transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of infrared light through an optical fiber. The light is a form of carrier wave that is modulated to carry information. Fiber is pr ...

in May 2019. In September 2019, they successfully tested 5G in

Santa Cruz de la Sierra Santa Cruz de la Sierra (; "Holy Cross of the Mountain Range"), commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the largest city in Bolivia and the capital of the Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia), Santa Cruz department. Situated on the Pirai River (Bolivia), P ...

, along with Chinese company

Huawei Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ( ; ) is a Chinese multinational technology corporation headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. It designs, develops, produces and sells telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics and various smar ...

. In September 2020, they successfully connected their fiber optic network to the international network.

Sponsorship

As of 2021, Entel was the official jersey sponsor of

Bolivia's national basketball team Bolivia national basketball team is the national men's basketball team from Bolivia. In June 2021, the Bolivians succeeded in their first undertaking for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification (Americas). They defeated Ecuador in two g ...

.Bolivia FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas Pre-Qualifiers 2021

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its na ...

, 15 July 2021. Accessed 21 July 2021.

References

External links

*{{Official, https://www.entel.bo/ Telecommunications companies of Bolivia Bolivian brands Bolivian companies established in 1965 Telecommunications companies established in 1965