Juan Manuel Arguello, the head of Telefonica Nicaragua, has revealed that the subscriber base of its cellular unit Movistar has reached 2.8 million, of which around 80% are on pre-paid contracts.

In an interview with Confidencial.com.ni, Arguello noted that the cellco’s network currently covers 85% of Nicaragua’s territory, a figure which Movistar hopes to increase to 95% by year-end.

Around 8% of Movistar’s subscribers are currently using smartphones, Arguello also confirmed.

As previously reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, in May this year Cesar Alierta, president of Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica, pledged to ramp up investments in Movistar’s Nicaraguan unit, as the company seeks to catch up with its larger rival Claro, which is owned by Latin American behemoth America Movil.

Source: Teleography.com