According to the Subsecretaría de Telecomunicaciones (Subtel) report for the first half of 2026, Entel maintains a lead in Chile’s mobile internet market with 35.2% of connections, despite a minor dip. Meanwhile, ClaroVTR is narrowing the gap, pressuring rivals Wom and Movistar as active data traffic and fiber optic footprints shift across the sector.
The Evolving Mobile Landscape and Subscriber Shifts
The latest Subtel data outlining the closure of the first half of 2026 illustrates a shifting battleground across 3G, 4G, and 5G connections in Chile. Entel retains its market position, holding 35.2% of total connections. This represents a slight contraction of 0.3 percentage points from its previous 35.5% share, alongside a 1.3% reduction in overall connections over the period.
Wom holds the second-tier position, capturing 24.3% of connections at the close of June 2026. However, the operator lost ground, dropping 0.5 percentage points in market share and seeing a 2.6% decline in absolute connections. Pressuring that runner-up spot is ClaroVTR—a filial of América Móvil—which expanded its footprint. ClaroVTR climbed from a 19.8% market share to 21%, increasing its total connections by 5.6% over the preceding 12 months.
Movistar, now belonging to Millicom, fell to an 18.5% connection share, down from 19% in June 2025. The operator registered a 3.2% reduction in connections during the tracking window. In overall telephony quotas, Entel advanced from 33.6% to 34.3% (+0.7 pp), while Movistar holds 22.8% (-0.6 pp), ClaroVTR sits at 21.6% (-0.9 pp), and Wom registers 20.4% (+0.1 pp).
Data Traffic Surges and Consumption Dynamics
Network infrastructure load continues to scale upward. Total mobile data traffic surged by 16.1% during the first half of 2026. Consumption patterns mirror the subscriber connection shifts closely.
Entel commanded 39% of total data consumption over the trailing 12 months, marking a 0.8 percentage point increase compared to the prior year. Wom’s traffic share dropped from 27.6% down to 25.6%. Conversely, ClaroVTR captured additional traffic share, climbing 0.9 percentage points from 17.5% to 18.4%. Movistar also expanded its traffic handling, jumping 1.8 percentage points to reach 16.6% of total data consumption.
Fixed-Line Internet and Fiber Expansion
The fixed-line internet ecosystem features a wider distribution of players. Total fixed internet accesses reached 4.9 million connections by June 2026, expanding by 3.3% over the prior 12 months.
Movistar remains the market leader in fixed connections but saw its share decline from 28.1% in June 2025 to 26.5% at the end of the first half of 2026. ClaroVTR follows closely at 26%, down from 27.6% a year prior. According to the Subtel findings, the Grupo Claro-VTR entity recorded a 2.7% drop in fixed internet connections over the trailing 12 months, while Movistar dropped 2.5%.
Combined, Movistar and ClaroVTR control 52.5% of total fixed connections, down from nearly 54.5% at the close of 2025 and 57.4% the year before that. The market share vacuum is being filled by Entel and Mundo Pacífico. Mundo expanded its connections by 6.9%, securing the third-highest fixed market share at 21.2% (+0.7 pp). Entel jumped from 9.8% to 11% fixed connection share, securing the fourth position.
Fixed-Line Technology Breakdown (June 2026):
- Fiber Optic Penetration: Represents 87.3% of all fixed internet technology.
- Movistar Fiber Lead: Controls 30.4% of total fiber connections.
- Mundo Fiber Share: Holds 24.3% of fiber connections.
- ClaroVTR Fiber Share: Accounts for 19.6% of fiber connections.
The Contraction of Paid Television
While data connectivity thrives, traditional media infrastructure faces a decline. Subtel data shows paid television subscribers dropped by 8.6% over the 12-month period leading to June 2026. Service penetration plummeted to 12.3 subscribers per 100 inhabitants—the lowest marker recorded since 2012—covering just 37.5% of households.
ClaroVTR leads the pay-TV segment with a 34.7% share (+0.1 pp), followed by Movistar with 19.8% (-0.7 pp). Mundo climbed into third position by expanding its share from 15.7% to 17.5%, overtaking DirecTV, which slipped to fourth place with 16.2% down from 17.2%.
