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- The operator will provide 4G and 5G connectivity to the community living at Captain Arturo Prat Base, the country’s oldest naval installation on the white continent, thus setting a precedent in the telecommunications industry.
- In the words of Chris Bannister, CEO of the company, “This milestone reaffirms our purpose of connecting all people in Chile, significantly narrowing the digital divide”.
Magallanes, January 2026.- WOM remains firm in its commitment to the deployment of the 5G Project, announcing an important milestone in the construction of its network in the most remote and extreme areas of Chile. The operator installed the southernmost antenna in the country in the Chilean Antarctic Territory, which will provide 3G, 4G and 5G connectivity to the community living at Captain Arturo Prat Base and will also be key to the scientific and research activity present in this extreme part of the world.
This milestone on the white continent forms part of WOM’s commitment to the deployment of digital infrastructure in the 366 Mandatory Localities committed under the 5G Project, contributing to access to telecommunications services throughout the national territory. Likewise, it reflects the sustained effort during its first decade in Chile, achieving the second largest network in the country with more than 6,300 own antennas, which today cover urban, rural and extreme areas.
“This milestone reaffirms our purpose of connecting all people in Chile, significantly narrowing the digital divide. Our team managed to install the southernmost antenna in the country in the Chilean Antarctic Territory, allowing the community living at Captain Arturo Prat Base to have access to connectivity and contributing to the development of scientific and research activity. We will continue to be the operator that brings connectivity to the most extreme and remote areas of the country, thus transforming the lives of millions of people,” said Chris Bannister, CEO of WOM.
About Captain Arturo Prat Base
Inaugurated in 1947 under the name Base Soberanía, the Captain Arturo Prat Base of the Chilean Navy is the country’s oldest naval installation on the white continent. Since 31 December 2025, the 11 sailors who live at the facility all year round and the repair brigades that join each summer season have been able to access the benefits of this next-generation network, transforming the connectivity experience in a historically isolated area.
“The greatest benefit it gives us is the possibility of maintaining permanent, secure and timely communications. That is the main thing. Several years ago, communication like this was unthinkable; now we have audiovisual records, we can have direct communication via video calls both for professional matters, with our command, and also with our family,” commented Lieutenant Commander Jose Luis Bravo, Head of the Captain Arturo Prat Naval Base.
With regard to communication with their families, he noted that “we generally connected at night, after midnight, when the signal was strongest, because during the day we used it to transmit data, meteorological information, information that our command needs as a priority, which is the function we are carrying out here”. He also added that “having this permanent communication with the family will give us strength to keep moving forward”.
This deployment by WOM will also be an important technological support for the daily activities carried out at this Base, from traffic control and maritime activities to meteorological observations and national and international scientific activity in the Chilean Antarctic Territory. Likewise, the connectivity will benefit the essential functions of this very remote location, such as the delivery of meteorological information to the Meteorological Centre of the President Frei Antarctic Air Base on King George Island, as well as maritime observation and control in the Bransfield Strait, which is reported to the Maritime Authority and the maritime police in Fildes Bay.
Milestones in Mandatory Localities
It should be noted that on 31 December 2025, WOM delivered to the Subsecretariat of Telecommunications (Subtel) the entirety of the 366 Mandatory Localities committed under the 5G Project, of which close to 80% are already authorised.
The company explains that the remaining percentage pending reception and approval continues to progress in accordance with the regular review processes carried out by the authority, in line with what is established in the tender bases and the agreement signed with the State Defence Council (CDE). Likewise, the operator indicates that the deadline for all localities to be authorised and operational corresponds to March 2026, a milestone that is being met in accordance with what has been established.
WOM reiterated its commitment to complying with the works authorisation process, with the aim of ensuring that its network brings connectivity to remote and extreme areas of the country, contributing to access to telecommunications services throughout the national territory.
What is a “Mandatory Locality”?
A Mandatory Locality is a specific area of the country that the State defines as a priority for receiving mobile connectivity, and whose coverage is a legal obligation for companies that are awarded a telecommunications tender.
These areas are not chosen by the operators; they are areas through which the State of Chile ensures that access to connectivity is not concentrated only in large cities, but also reaches rural, isolated or lower-access localities.
These localities are part of the social commitment of the 5G Project, as they seek to reduce the digital divide and ensure that connectivity reaches people who today need it for education, health, security and economic development.
