Bolivia Telecom
Entel, the state-owned phone and internet company of landlocked Bolivia, says it wants coverage close to 100% of the country by 2030, while admitting that gaps remain today.
Bolivia’s state telecom company says it wants to reach close to every corner of the country by 2030. Entel, the Empresa Nacional de Telecomunicaciones, set out the goal at a forum in La Paz this week.
For readers abroad, the plan tests whether state-led investment can narrow a deep digital gap in a poor, mountainous country. General manager Jorge del Solar said Entel already has a presence in 335 municipalities, the local council areas that run towns and rural districts, but gaps remain.
Key Facts
- Who: Entel S.A., Bolivia’s state telecom company, whose board president is Álvaro Bazán.
- What: A goal of coverage close to 100% of Bolivia’s national territory by 2030.
- Context: A new atlas from SDSN Bolivia, a development research network, reports household internet access rose from 10% in 2012 to 74% in 2024.
- Open: How the coverage goal is measured, what it costs and the yearly milestones.
- Power Index: Bolivia ranks 13th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 27.9 points (November 2026 edition).
Three Pillars for 2030
Entel’s board president, Álvaro Bazán, said the company’s strategy rests on three pillars. The first is connectivity, which he described as meaningful access that improves lives, not just wider coverage.
The second is technological transformation, where Entel takes on a major role in Bolivia’s digital development. The third is integration, which means strengthening the country’s links with the rest of South America.
Under the first pillar, Entel plans to come close to 100% coverage of the national territory by 2030. Del Solar said the goal is to come as close as possible to 100% of Bolivia, calling it complex, long-term work.
What the Atlas Shows
This week SDSN Bolivia presented the Atlas of the Sustainable Development Goals in Bolivia 2026. SDSN Bolivia is the Bolivian arm of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, a global research network, and it produced the atlas with the Universidad Privada Boliviana, a private university.
The atlas compares more than 340 municipalities and other territorial units between 2012 and 2024, and holds more than 100,000 data points. It reports that the share of Bolivian households with fixed or mobile internet rose from 10% in 2012 to 74% in 2024.
Municipalities with more internet access also show better results on poverty, education, health and employment. SDSN Bolivia’s Lykke Andersen stressed that this is a correlation and that deeper research is needed to show cause.
In Plain English
Entel is Bolivia’s national phone and internet operator, run by the state. The name is similar to Chile’s Entel, but this is a separate company that serves Bolivia.
A municipality is a local government unit with an elected mayor and council. The Sustainable Development Goals are the United Nations targets on poverty, health, education and other areas.
What It Means for You
Readers in the United States should treat the 2030 goal as a stated ambition, not a funded plan. It shows a state company trying to narrow Bolivia’s digital gap, especially in rural areas.
If the goal is met, more Bolivians could go online for work, school and health services. See our Bolivia coverage for how state-led investment fits the wider economy.
What Is Not Known
Entel did not say how it measures coverage, whether by population, territory or municipalities. It also gave no cost, funding plan or year by year milestones.
The atlas figures come from SDSN Bolivia and we have not checked them independently. Andersen described internet access as reaching roughly 75% of the population, a slightly different measure from the household figure above.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Entel’s goal for Bolivia?
Entel, Bolivia’s state telecom company, aims to come close to 100% coverage of the national territory by 2030. It has not said how it measures that figure.
How many Bolivian households have internet?
SDSN Bolivia’s 2026 atlas reports that 74% of households had fixed or mobile internet in 2024, up from 10% in 2012. The figures come from the atlas, not from Entel.
Is this the same Entel as the Chilean company?
No. The name is similar, but this is Bolivia’s state-run Empresa Nacional de Telecomunicaciones, a separate company that serves Bolivia.
Sources
Statements by Entel S.A. management at the forum ‘Conectividad y desarrollo sostenible en Bolivia: avances, brechas y oportunidades’, La Paz, November 2026; SDSN Bolivia and Universidad Privada Boliviana, Atlas de los ODS en Bolivia 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. How we use AI · Report an error