In terms of the operator landscape, América Móvil’s Claro enjoys the premier position in the country, with Telefónica’s Movistar and the government-owned CNT holding the second and third spot respectively. In line with its regional strategy to sell off static assets, Telefónica sold 1,408 sites to Phoenix Tower International (PTI) in 2019, making
PTI then the biggest independent towerco in the country. Last year saw the creation of Sites and the transfer of 2,500 towers from Claro, making Sites the largest owner of infrastructure in the Andean nation.
The outbreak of violence following the escape of gang leaders from prison has led to the declaration of a state of emergency. At present telecommunications has been unaffected directly, but a local television station was attacked.
Ecuador- telecom market statistics Q3 2024
Ecuador’s Ministry of Telecommunications and
Information Society (Mintel) and the Inter-American Telecommunications Commission (CITEL) have signed a memorandum of understanding to extend connectivity in the country, while incumbent players Claro and CNT have agreed a deal to jointly invest in rural infrastructure in remote areas.
Ecuador - estimated tower ownership Q3 2024
Additionally, in July 2021 Ecuador’s President signed a degree to reform the country’s telecoms law with focus to reducing the digital divide and improving connectivity in rural areas. State-owned CNT has been assessing the sale of its tower assets to reduce opex and
allow for network investments. In addition to PTI, SBA Communications and a handful of other independent towercos have a presence in the Ecuadorian market, including DigitalBridge- backed Andean Telecom Partners who acquired BTS Towers in February 2022.
