Telecommunications in Chile

The technical regulator of communications in Chile is the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications, through the Undersecretariat of Telecommunications (Subtel).

Telephone

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History

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Telephone and telegraph services started in Chile in 1879, three years after Alexander Graham Bell, presented his patent for a telephonic system. José Dottin Husbands, an associate of Thomas Edison, arrived into the port of Valparaíso carrying the first set of switching equipment and telephones.[1] By 1880 the first telephone company of the country is born (Compañía Chilena de Teléfonos de Edison), while in 1893, after a rapid expansion in the northern regions of Chile, telephone services started operating in the south, thanks to the founding of Telefónica del Sur (current day Grupo GTD), a company created by a group of German immigrants that had previously settled in the area of Valdivia, Región de los Ríos.

  • Main lines in use: 2,567,938 (2020 est.)[2]
  • Mobile cellular: 25,068,249 (2020 est.)[2]
    • Pre-paid: 17,283,257
    • Post-paid: 6,847,497 [3]
  • System: privatization began in 1988; advanced telecommunications infrastructure; modern system based on extensive microwave radio relay facilities; fixed-line connections have dropped in recent years as mobile-cellular usage continues to increase, reaching a level of 85 telephones per 100 persons[2]
    • Domestic: extensive microwave radio relay links; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations
    • international: country code - 56; submarine cables provide links to the US and to Central and South America; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio

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  • Broadcast stations: 1,490 (175 AM; 1,315 FM) (2006)[4]

Television

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Internet

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Other technical details

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  • Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50 Hz[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Historia de la Compañía » Telefónica Chile" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Chile". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency.
  3. ^ a b "Número de celulares en Chile superó los 24 millones". Acceso a internet por cada 100 habitantes llega a 41% y banda ancha móvil se acerca a los 5 millones de conexiones. Gobierno de Chile. Retrieved 2013-05-29.
  4. ^ Compendio Estadístico 2006, INE.
  5. ^ "What are the video format standards used in different countries worldwide?". Sony.com. November 4, 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  6. ^ Articulo 2012, Cambio21.
  7. ^ "Full list: Plug, socket & voltage by country". WorldStandards. 9 August 2022.