Chilean gas distributor Lipigas has created a new company in neighbouring Colombia to offer internet services to residents of small and medium-sized cities where internet penetration is less than 20%.
The company, called Chilco Net, hopes to offer the service as a complement to network gas supplies, said local media reports.
Chilco Net has an initial capital of COP7.4 billion (USD1.4 million) and is a subsidiary of Chilco Distribuidora de Gas y Energia, itself a subsidiary of Empresas Lipigas in Colombia.
According to reports, Lipigas has identified this new business opportunity because, although internet penetration in Colombia has risen in recent years, there is still room for further growth.
The company said that internet services are present in 48% of Colombian households, but in small towns, penetration is only 18%.
Recently, Colombian ICT minister, Ligia Valderrama Rojas, stated that the Colombian telecommunications market ended the second quarter of 2021 with 33 million mobile internet accesses and 8.2 million fixed accesses.
