Millicom
Encyclopedia
Millicom International Cellular, also known as Tigo, is a mobile phone
network provider in America
and Africa
. Based in Luxembourg
, the company provides mobile services in 14 countries. With operations across Central America
, South America
, South-east Asia, and Africa
, using GSM, CDMA
and TDMA
on America, GSM and UMTS
over Africa. Millicom also is the owner of Amnet, a company that provides cable television and broadband internet services in Costa Rica
, Honduras
and El Salvador
; additionally the company provides corporate data services in Guatemala
and Nicaragua
.
in 2004, to replace the old national brands COMCEL and Amigo de COMCEL with a new international brand. TIGO Guatemala is Guatemala's largest mobile operator with more than 5 million users since August 2009. It competes with international operators like Movistar
(Telefonica
) and Claro
(America Movil
), using technologies AMPS/TDMA (now shut down) and GSM/GPRS/EDGE both over 850 MHz. TIGO Guatemala already launched commercially UMTS/HSPA
over 850 MHz in 2008.
in 2004, to replace the old national brand TELEMOVIL with a new international brand. TIGO El Salvador is the largest mobile operator with more than 2.4 million users. It competes with international operators like Movistar (Telefonica), Claro (America Movil), Digicel
(Digicel Group) and Red (Infonet), using GSM/GPRS and 3G
technologies both over 850 MHz.
in 2004, to replace the old national brand CELTEL, that had been founded on September 15, 1996, with a new international brand. TIGO Honduras, in a country of 8 million inhabitants with an 87% mobile penetration rate has a total 4.5 million users. It competes with international operators Claro (America Movil), Digicel (Digicel Group) and government owned operator Hondutel
, using GSM/GPRS and UMTS (HSDPA) 3G both over 850 MHz. Now shutdown technologies include AMPS
and CDMA.
in 2004, to replace the old national brand TELECEL with a new international brand. TIGO Paraguay is the largest mobile operator with more than 2.8 million users. It competes with international operators like Personal (Telecom Argentina / Telecom Italia), Claro (America Movil) and VOX (KDDI
), using technologies GSM/EDGE and WCDMA/HSDPA both over 850 MHz.
in 2005, to replace the old national brand TELECEL BOLIVIA with a new international brand. TIGO Bolivia is the second mobile operator with more than 1.3 million users. It competes with international operators like Entel
(Telecom Italia), and Nuevatel PCS, using technologies AMPS/TDMA (to be shut down) and GSM/GPRS both over 850 MHz. Tigo is the first company in Bolivia to provide 3G
technology.
in 2006, to replace the old national brand of Colombia Móvil
OLA, with the entrance of Millicom as new partner with 51%. TIGO Colombia started operations with 3.6 million users. It competes with international operators like COMCEL
(America Movil) and Movistar(Telefonica), using technologies GSM/GPRS/EDGE over 1900 MHz.
in 2007, to replace the old national brand with a new international brand. It competes with international operator Zain
, using technologies GSM/GPRS/EDGE over 900 MHz.
, Supercell
, Vodacom
and Congo Chine Telecom, using technologies GSM/GPRS/EDGE over 1800 MHz.
in 2006, to replace the old national brand with a new international brand. It competes with international operators like Celtel
, Comium, Africell
and Datatel GSM, using technologies GSM/GPRS/EDGE over 900 MHz. Millicom sold its Sierra Leone subsidiary to Africell Holding (Lintel group) on 29 July 2009.
in 2006, to replace the old national brand SENTEL GSM with a new international brand. It competes with international operators like ORANGE (Sonatel
) and Expresso (Sudatel), using technologies GSM/GPRS/EDGE over 900 and 1800 MHz.
operator MIC Tanzania Limited (Mobitel), by buying out its local shareholders. It competes using technologies GSM/GPRS/EDGE over 900 MHz.
} TIGO Colombia
} TIGO Guatemala
} TIGO El Salvador
} TIGO Honduras
} TIGO Paraguay
} TIGO Bolivia
} TIGO Chad
} TIGO Congo DRC
} TIGO Ghana
} Emtel (Mauritius)
} TIGO Rwanda
} TIGO Senegal
} TIGO Tanzania
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
network provider in America
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Based in Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, the company provides mobile services in 14 countries. With operations across Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, South-east Asia, and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, using GSM, CDMA
Code division multiple access
Code division multiple access is a channel access method used by various radio communication technologies. It should not be confused with the mobile phone standards called cdmaOne, CDMA2000 and WCDMA , which are often referred to as simply CDMA, and use CDMA as an underlying channel access...
and TDMA
Digital AMPS
IS-54 and IS-136 are second-generation mobile phone systems, known as Digital AMPS . It was once prevalent throughout the Americas, particularly in the United States and Canada. D-AMPS is considered end-of-life, and existing networks have mostly been replaced by GSM/GPRS or CDMA2000...
on America, GSM and UMTS
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System is a third generation mobile cellular technology for networks based on the GSM standard. Developed by the 3GPP , UMTS is a component of the International Telecommunications Union IMT-2000 standard set and compares with the CDMA2000 standard set for...
over Africa. Millicom also is the owner of Amnet, a company that provides cable television and broadband internet services in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
and El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
; additionally the company provides corporate data services in Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
and Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
.
Guatemala
TIGO was launched in GuatemalaGuatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
in 2004, to replace the old national brands COMCEL and Amigo de COMCEL with a new international brand. TIGO Guatemala is Guatemala's largest mobile operator with more than 5 million users since August 2009. It competes with international operators like Movistar
Movistar
Movistar is a major Spanish mobile phone operator owned by Telefónica Móviles. It operates in Spain and in many Latin American countries. It is the largest carrier in Spain with 22 million customers and 41.58% of market share. Its principal competitor in Latin America is America Movil...
(Telefonica
Telefónica
Telefónica, S.A. is a Spanish broadband and telecommunications provider in Europe and Latin America. Operating globally, it is the third largest provider in the world...
) and Claro
Claro (mobile phone network)
Claro is the largest mobile phone network in the Americas. It is part of the Mexican telecom group América Móvil which is one of the four largest mobile phone network operators in the world, with more than 200 million customers...
(America Movil
América Móvil
América Móvil is a Mexican telecommunication company headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico. It is the fourth largest mobile network operator in terms of equity subscribers, one of the largest corporations in Latin America, and the world. America Movil is a Fortune 500 company...
), using technologies AMPS/TDMA (now shut down) and GSM/GPRS/EDGE both over 850 MHz. TIGO Guatemala already launched commercially UMTS/HSPA
High Speed Packet Access
High Speed Packet Access is an amalgamation of two mobile telephony protocols, High Speed Downlink Packet Access and High Speed Uplink Packet Access , that extends and improves the performance of existing WCDMA protocols...
over 850 MHz in 2008.
El Salvador
TIGO was launched in El SalvadorEl Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
in 2004, to replace the old national brand TELEMOVIL with a new international brand. TIGO El Salvador is the largest mobile operator with more than 2.4 million users. It competes with international operators like Movistar (Telefonica), Claro (America Movil), Digicel
Digicel
Digicel is a mobile phone network provider covering parts of Oceania, Central America, and the Caribbean regions. The company is owned by Irishman Denis O'Brien, is incorporated in Bermuda, and based in Jamaica. It provides mobile services in 26 countries and territories throughout the Caribbean...
(Digicel Group) and Red (Infonet), using GSM/GPRS and 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
technologies both over 850 MHz.
Honduras
TIGO was launched in HondurasHonduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
in 2004, to replace the old national brand CELTEL, that had been founded on September 15, 1996, with a new international brand. TIGO Honduras, in a country of 8 million inhabitants with an 87% mobile penetration rate has a total 4.5 million users. It competes with international operators Claro (America Movil), Digicel (Digicel Group) and government owned operator Hondutel
Hondutel
Hondutel , is Honduras' government owned telecommunications company.It has a monopoly on international calls...
, using GSM/GPRS and UMTS (HSDPA) 3G both over 850 MHz. Now shutdown technologies include AMPS
Advanced Mobile Phone System
Advanced Mobile Phone System was an analog mobile phone system standard developed by Bell Labs, and officially introduced in the Americas in 1983, Israel in 1986, and Australia in 1987. It was the primary analog mobile phone system in North America through the 1980s and into the 2000s...
and CDMA.
Paraguay
TIGO was launched in ParaguayParaguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
in 2004, to replace the old national brand TELECEL with a new international brand. TIGO Paraguay is the largest mobile operator with more than 2.8 million users. It competes with international operators like Personal (Telecom Argentina / Telecom Italia), Claro (America Movil) and VOX (KDDI
KDDI
is a Japanese telecommunications operator formed in October 2000 through the merger of DDI Corp., KDD Corp., and IDO Corp. It has its headquarters in the Garden Air Tower in Iidabashi, Chiyoda, Tokyo....
), using technologies GSM/EDGE and WCDMA/HSDPA both over 850 MHz.
Bolivia
TIGO was launched in BoliviaBolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
in 2005, to replace the old national brand TELECEL BOLIVIA with a new international brand. TIGO Bolivia is the second mobile operator with more than 1.3 million users. It competes with international operators like Entel
Entel Bolivia
Entel was founded on 22 December 1965 as CompanyMixed anonymous official state representationBolivia, in order to "develop thetelecommunications in all its forms and shapesthe national territory "...
(Telecom Italia), and Nuevatel PCS, using technologies AMPS/TDMA (to be shut down) and GSM/GPRS both over 850 MHz. Tigo is the first company in Bolivia to provide 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
technology.
Colombia
TIGO was launched in ColombiaColombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
in 2006, to replace the old national brand of Colombia Móvil
Colombia Móvil
Colombia Móvil S.A., marketed under tigo trademark , is the third largest mobile phone company in Colombia. It is headquartered in Bogotá, D.C.....
OLA, with the entrance of Millicom as new partner with 51%. TIGO Colombia started operations with 3.6 million users. It competes with international operators like COMCEL
Comcel Colombia
Comunicaciones Celulares is a Colombian mobile phone operator, owned by Mexican Group América Móvil. Comcel is the largest mobile phone company in the country, with 27,024,134 subscribers .-External links:...
(America Movil) and Movistar(Telefonica), using technologies GSM/GPRS/EDGE over 1900 MHz.
Chad
TIGO was launched in ChadChad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
in 2007, to replace the old national brand with a new international brand. It competes with international operator Zain
Zain
-People:*as a given name in general , orwith a first name of Zain*Zain Abbas , a Pakistan-born cricketer*Zain Amat , a Singaporean trapshooter*Zain Awan , an India-born Arab TV journalist...
, using technologies GSM/GPRS/EDGE over 900 MHz.
Congo DRC
TIGO was launched in Democratic Republic of Congo in 2007, to replace the old national brand OASIS with a new international brand. It competes with international operators like CeltelCeltel
Celtel was a telecommunications company that operated in several African countries. It was founded by Sudanese-born Mo Ibrahim.-History:Originally known as "MSI Cellular Investments", the company began operating in 1998...
, Supercell
Supercell (company)
Supercell is a mobile phone network in the North Kivu owned by Supercell SPRL.Supercell was originally granted a regional 900/1800 GSM-licence for the eastern part of the Congo and startet services in July 2002. The concession was later upgraded to cover the whole country, but Supercell operates...
, Vodacom
Vodacom
Vodacom is a pan-African mobile telecommunications company, and was the 1st cellular network in South Africa. It provides GSM service to more than 35 million customers in South Africa, Tanzania, Lesotho, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Revenue for the year ended 31 March 2008...
and Congo Chine Telecom, using technologies GSM/GPRS/EDGE over 1800 MHz.
Ghana
In July 2011, Millicom Ghana Limited announced that their Tigo mobile network in that country was launching a 3.5G Internet broadband facility.Mauritius
Operates under Emtel brand. It competes with Orange (previously known as Cellplus) and MTML with technologies GSM/GPRS and UMTS/HSDPA over 900, 1800 and 2100 MHz. Emtel also has a broadband Wimax network.Rwanda
Operates under Tigo brand (licenced in 2008). It competes with Rwandacell (MTN) and Rwandatel.Sierra Leone
TIGO was launched in Sierra LeoneSierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
in 2006, to replace the old national brand with a new international brand. It competes with international operators like Celtel
Celtel
Celtel was a telecommunications company that operated in several African countries. It was founded by Sudanese-born Mo Ibrahim.-History:Originally known as "MSI Cellular Investments", the company began operating in 1998...
, Comium, Africell
Africell
Africell is a mobile telecommunications company serving The Gambia and Sierra Leone. It is a subsidiary of the Lebanese telecommunications company Lintel Holding....
and Datatel GSM, using technologies GSM/GPRS/EDGE over 900 MHz. Millicom sold its Sierra Leone subsidiary to Africell Holding (Lintel group) on 29 July 2009.
Senegal
TIGO was launched in SenegalSenegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
in 2006, to replace the old national brand SENTEL GSM with a new international brand. It competes with international operators like ORANGE (Sonatel
Sonatel
Sonatel is the principal telecommunications provider of Senegal. The company is active in fixed line telephony, mobile telephony, internet service, television and corporate telecommunications...
) and Expresso (Sudatel), using technologies GSM/GPRS/EDGE over 900 and 1800 MHz.
Tanzania
In Tanzania the brand TIGO was launched in 2006 after Millicom International Cellular decided to take full control of its Tanzanian networkTelecommunications network
A telecommunications network is a collection of terminals, links and nodes which connect together to enable telecommunication between users of the terminals. Networks may use circuit switching or message switching. Each terminal in the network must have a unique address so messages or connections...
operator MIC Tanzania Limited (Mobitel), by buying out its local shareholders. It competes using technologies GSM/GPRS/EDGE over 900 MHz.
Sri Lanka
Mobile telephony was introduced to Sri Lanka by Celltel Lanka limited (subsidiary of Millicom International Cellular) in 1989 as CELLTEL on a Motorola TACS system and Sri Lanka was the first country in south Asia to introduce this service. In 2007 CELLTEL was rebranded to TIGO and also introduced per second billing for the first time in Sri Lankan mobile history. TIGO Sri Lanka reportedly has a national market share of 21 percent with 2.2 million subscribers. TIGO Sri Lanka is second-largest mobile phone operator in 2009. Millicom sold its Sri Lankan operation on 16th October 2009.Official Sites
TIGO local sites
- Latin America
} TIGO Colombia
} TIGO Guatemala
} TIGO El Salvador
} TIGO Honduras
} TIGO Paraguay
} TIGO Bolivia
- Africa
} TIGO Chad
} TIGO Congo DRC
} TIGO Ghana
} Emtel (Mauritius)
} TIGO Rwanda
} TIGO Senegal
} TIGO Tanzania