Peru telecommunications market and 5G expansion

Peru’s telecommunications sector has experienced significant growth and technological advancement through mid-2026. Data from the Supervisory Agency for Private Investment in Telecommunications (OSIPTEL) indicates that the country reached 39.64 million active mobile lines by the second quarter of 2026.

Market distribution shows that while the Lima-Callao region accounts for 37.86% of these lines, the remaining regions collectively hold 62.14% of the market. Regional leaders in mobile line concentration include La Libertad, Piura, Arequipa, and Junín. Among service providers, Claro maintains the largest market share at 33.39%, followed by Bitel (24.68%), Entel (22.72%), and Movistar (18.95%). There is a documented trend toward monthly contract models, which saw an increase of over 11% compared to the second quarter of 2025.

In addition to market expansion, 5G infrastructure has grown rapidly. Following spectrum assignments by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the number of 5G antennas in Peru increased from fewer than 400 in 2021 to over 2,800 by early 2026. This deployment is primarily concentrated in urban centers such as Lima, Callao, Trujillo, Arequipa, and Ica, with the goal of reducing latency and increasing network capacity.

In August 2026, mobile number portability reached a historic record in Peru. According to OSIPTEL, 567,151 mobile lines switched operators while maintaining their original numbers, representing a 3.03% increase from July. This growth was largely driven by the postpaid segment, which accounted for 79.53% of total monthly activity, marking the highest level of postpaid portations since the system's relaunch in July 2014. Regarding market competition, Claro and Entel recorded positive net balances of 39,755 and 9,462 lines respectively, while Movistar and Bitel experienced net losses.