Bolivia's National Telecommunications Company (Entel) has begun a 5G test phase in "experience zones" around the country in preparation for the expected official rollout in the second half of 2025.
The experimentation spaces are located in strategic locations in each capital of Bolivia's nine departments such as airports, business areas, markets, and other high-traffic spaces.
The tests are being conducted in the 3.5 GHz band after the Telecommunications and Transport Regulation and Taxation Authority (ATT) allocated 100 MHz of spectrum for the experience zones.
In December 2024, ATT established the country's first 5G laboratory to experiment and develop projects related to this technology and facilitate its implementation.
"We have a journey from GSM to 3G and 4G technology, which has really seen a directly proportional change," ATT director Néstor Ríos said last September, according to Bolivian financial media outlet Economy.
"These advances give us grounds to already think about preparing for the adoption of 5G technology for the 2025 management, with a reasonable spectrum cost."
During this test phase, Entel's technical team will evaluate the operation of the 5G network with the objective of determining the conditions for a future technical-commercial offer that responds to the real needs of users.
The state-owned company's initiative follows the digital transformation policies promoted by the national government to promote technological inclusion and equitable access to networks, according to Entel.
Currently, 5G is not yet offered commercially in Bolivia, and the population relies on 4G and 3G networks, where infrastructure is limited outside urban centers.
Last year, Entel reached 6.6 million mobile telephony and Internet access users in Bolivia, representing more than half of the country's total population.
