Entel Bolivia and Claro Chile partner to improve regional connectivity

Details: Vaughan O'Grady; Category: Operators; 29 January 2026; 1273 views

Bolivia’s state-owned operator Entel has reportedly signed an interconnection agreement with Chilean operator Claro Chile to create what is being called a bioceanic route. The route will connect the Atlantic with the Pacific, strengthening Bolivia's position as a regional data corridor.

It will also enable lower latency. This integration makes it possible to shorten the distance between Santiago and São Paulo, reducing the previous route by 2,400 kilometres, which translates into a siginificant12 milliseconds of latency.

The transport networks of the two operators will connect from a point in Arica. Arica is a coastal commune, port city, and capital of the Arica y Parinacota Region in northern Chile. Timings, cost and technical details do not seem, so far, to be available.

According to the news service BNamericas, Bolivia seeks to position itself as a direct highway for international data flow through partnerships with operators and investments in fibre optic infrastructure.

In addition to the direct connection with Santiago, Entel already has multiple international routes after the signing of a contract with Telecom Italia company Sparkle for the operation of a Pacific-Atlantic fibre route, providing landlocked Bolivia with key data exits on both the Peruvian and Brazilian coasts.

The agreement, announced in October 2025, aims to be the foundation for the joint commercialisation of international capacity along a route that connects Lurín (Peru), the Desaguadero (Peru) to Puerto Quijarro (Bolivia) route, and São Paulo (Brazil).

Entel announced the consolidation of its Pacific-Atlantic project in March, when it expanded its fibre optic network that connects both oceans with a point of presence (PoP) in São Paulo. This PoP was added to the Lima-São Paulo fibre optic route, which has been operational since 2024.