WOM hits 7 mln customers, begins 5G rollout

WOM said it has reached the milestone of 7 million customers around six years after launching its brand in the country, overtaking Claro as the third-placed mobile operator behind Movistar and Entel. In a short statement issued ahead of the publication of its fourth-quarter results, the company said it also has the fastest growing network in Chile and is rolling out 5G for customers on postpay plans with compatible handsets.

After acquiring 100 MHz of fifth-generation spectrum at the start of 2021 and activating its network in December, WOM said postpay clients with Motorola, Vivo, Xiaomi and Samsung 5G smartphones will be able to access the network this month, followed by all customers next month. “We are focused on strengthening and expanding our 4G network, and accelerating 5G deployment to connect more people, especially in remote and rural areas, and thus provide greater access and ensure better connectivity quality at a fair price,” said WOM CMO Sebastian Precht.

The WOM brand was launched by UK-based fund Novator in 2015 and has led the country’s mobile portability rankings for much of that time. Last year it launched its WOM TV pay-TV offering throughout the country following regional trials.