Latin America

Móvil Éxito adds Claro's network as a customer option in Colombia

The virtual operator keeps its Tigo arrangement while offering a separate SIM for Claro coverage. Lines do not switch networks automatically, and store distribution is still expanding.

Móvil Éxito has begun offering customers a SIM card that uses Claro's network in Colombia, alongside the option it already provides over Tigo. Claro announced the agreement on September 29 and said sales of the new SIMs began on September 15. For customers, the practical change is the ability to choose another network without leaving the Móvil Éxito brand or losing their number when requesting a transfer. The companies have not reported how many lines have made the switch. [1][2]

A mobile virtual network operator sells plans and serves customers while relying on another company's radio network. Here, Móvil Éxito is selling two coverage options, rather than putting two live networks on one line. The network depends on the installed SIM; a phone does not automatically move from Tigo to Claro when coverage drops. A customer who wants Claro must obtain the new SIM and request migration. A customer who takes no action stays on Tigo. [2][3]

Móvil Éxito's help page says there is no charge for the coverage migration process, although the SIM itself costs 5,900 Colombian pesos. The operator says customers retain their number, balance, data, minutes and benefits, subject to their plan's validity. An eSIM for Claro coverage is not yet available; that format remains on Tigo for now. The company advises checking its coverage map for the specific location and device because experience can vary with geography and network congestion. [2]

The initial distribution stage covers 30 Grupo Éxito stores. Claro and Móvil Éxito plan to extend availability to 447 outlets, but have not given a detailed city-by-city timetable. Claro says this is the first time it has opened its Colombian network to a virtual operator and says Móvil Éxito has more than two million users. That customer base is the companies' assertion, not a count of migrations to Claro. The wholesale financial terms have not been disclosed either. [1][3]

The move matters because it gives a large virtual operator a second host network in a market where Tigo has long supplied such infrastructure. Claro reports 4G coverage in all 1,104 Colombian municipalities and 5G in more than 100 cities, but this agreement alone does not prove that every Móvil Éxito plan includes 5G. What is available now is a choice of a Claro-based SIM; any effect on perceived coverage, competition or customer growth will need subsequent measurement. [1][2][4]

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