Claro vs Tigo vs Movistar: Best Cell Service

Which Colombian Phone Company to Choose

Pick your operator by where you will spend your time: Claro outside the big cities, Movistar or Tigo if you stay in Medellín, Bogotá or another large city. No single operator wins on every metric.

Match your situation to one of these four cases:

• Pick Claro if you travel between towns, drive through rural departments, visit coastal villages, or buy a rural country property (buying a finca in Colombia). Claro scored 8.3 out of 10 in Opensignal’s Coverage Experience metric in April 2026, compared to 4.3 for Tigo, 4.1 for Movistar, and 2.6 for MovilPT WOM. Claro also led overall 5G availability at 26.1 percent.
• Pick Movistar or Tigo if you live in Medellín, Bogotá, Cali, or Barranquilla and spend your time inside urban centers. In the same Opensignal report, Movistar won nine awards, including Reliability Experience, Consistent Quality, Video Experience, Upload Speed, and 5G Download Speed. Movistar customers are becoming Tigo customers under Millicom’s ownership.
• Pick a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) such as Virgin Mobile Colombia if a low monthly price matters more than reach. Virgin Mobile listed 30 GB plus 10 GB extra for COP 23,000 a month on October 18, 2026. MovilPT (formerly WOM) is the fourth network and had the lowest Opensignal Coverage Experience score, 2.6 out of 10.
• Pick an international travel embedded SIM (eSIM) if you visit Colombia for a short vacation and only need data without a local voice line (best eSIM for Colombia).

We do not name one overall winner because Claro won Opensignal’s Coverage Experience and Download Speed awards while Movistar won Reliability, Consistent Quality, Video and 5G Download Speed. Our pick would change if a later Opensignal report showed Tigo’s Coverage Experience score close to Claro’s 8.3, or showed Claro matching Movistar on Reliability Experience and Consistent Quality.

Comparison of Colombian Mobile Operators

Claro leads three of the four network columns, and Movistar leads Reliability Experience.

Carrier	Market Share (CRC, Mar 2026)	Coverage Experience (0 to 10)	Download Speed (Mbps)	Reliability Experience (100 to 1000)	5G Availability (%)	Prepaid eSIM for New Customers	Prepaid Pricing from (Seen Oct 2026)
Claro	50.7%	8.3	32.7	754	26.1%	Existing customers only (Mi Claro app or a Claro store)	COP 11,000 (7 days, 2 GB)
Movistar (becoming Tigo)	22.3%	4.1	24.2	797	12.5%	Yes, online and in stores	COP 20,000 (eSIM package)
Tigo	16.5%	4.3	23.5	786	15.1%	Yes, international prepaid eSIM sold online	COP 9,000 (entry prepaid pack)
MovilPT (formerly WOM)	4.8%	2.6	14.3	787	Not reported	Not in our sources	Not in our sources

Performance metrics in this table come directly from the Opensignal Colombia Mobile Network Experience Report published in April 2026, recording test data collected between January 1 and March 31, 2026. Market share figures are CRC data to March 2026, as reported by TeleSemana on October 5, 2026. Prices are as listed on each operator’s site on October 18, 2026; promotional prices change often.

Network Test Results Explained

Opensignal’s April 2026 report puts Claro ahead on coverage and download speed and Movistar ahead on reliability, consistency, video and 5G download speed. In its April 2026 Mobile Network Experience report, Opensignal evaluated real-world user measurements across download speed, coverage reach, connection reliability, and visual streaming quality.

• Coverage Experience: Claro retained the Coverage Experience award outright with 8.3 points on a 10-point scale. Tigo took second place at 4.3 points, Movistar recorded 4.1 points, and MovilPT WOM finished at 2.6 points. Coverage Experience measures the geographical footprint where subscribers receive a mobile network signal.
• Overall Speeds: Claro won the Download Speed Experience award with an average speed of 32.7 Mbps. Movistar finished second at 24.2 Mbps, Tigo delivered 23.5 Mbps, and MovilPT WOM trailed at 14.3 Mbps. Movistar took the Upload Speed Experience award outright at 10.5 Mbps, followed by Tigo at 9.5 Mbps, Claro at 9.1 Mbps, and MovilPT WOM at 7.6 Mbps.
• Network Reliability and Quality: Movistar won the Reliability Experience category with 797 points on a 100 to 1,000 scale. Tigo and MovilPT WOM tied behind Movistar with 786 to 787 points, while Claro placed last among the four with 754 points. Movistar also won Consistent Quality at 55.4 percent, with Claro and MovilPT WOM tied at 53.2 to 53.3 percent, and Tigo at 52.0 percent.
• Time on Network: Movistar won Time on Network (formerly reported as Availability) with 98.8 percent. Tigo followed at 98.6 percent, MovilPT WOM scored 98.0 percent, and Claro scored 97.5 percent.
• Video and Games: Movistar won Video Experience with 59.0 points on a 100-point scale, narrowly beating Claro at 58.4 points. MovilPT WOM scored 57.0 points, while Tigo scored 49.3 points. For Games Experience, MovilPT WOM won outright with 54.2 points, while Claro and Movistar tied statistically between 52.8 and 53.1 points, and Tigo recorded 51.0 points. Opensignal rated all operators as “Poor” for mobile gaming.

Claro reaches more of the country than any rival. Its users still had the lowest Reliability Experience (754) and Time on Network (97.5 percent) scores of the four. A separate nPerf barometer, reported by La República in April 2026, also put Claro and Movistar effectively tied for first overall.

Opensignal, citing Colombia’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies (MinTIC), puts Colombia’s 5G users at 7 million. Opensignal’s report noted that Claro achieved 26.1 percent 5G availability and 24.6 percent time on 5G. Tigo achieved 15.1 percent availability, while Movistar recorded 12.5 percent. However, when users connect to 5G, Movistar and Tigo deliver faster speeds: Movistar won 5G Download Speed at 248.0 Mbps, Tigo achieved 240.6 Mbps, and Claro trailed at 164.8 Mbps. Movistar and Tigo also shared the 5G Games Experience award with tied scores of 71.6 to 71.7 points, while Claro scored 67.9 points. Opensignal, citing Claro, says Claro’s 5G reaches 59 cities, including Leticia and San Andrés, with more than 2,200 active 5G base stations.

The CRC declared Comcel S.A. (Claro) dominant in Colombia’s mobile voice and data market under Resolución CRC 6146 and Resolución CRC 6380 of 2021. In a letter of January 10, 2024, the CRC called both resolutions final. MinTIC subscriber records at the end of the second quarter of 2026, reported by Portafolio, showed Claro serving 28.7 million mobile internet subscribers, Movistar serving 9.13 million, Tigo serving 8.26 million, and WOM serving 2.5 million.

Movistar Becoming Tigo

Millicom, the owner of Tigo, now owns Movistar Colombia outright, and the Movistar brand becomes Tigo from October 2026. Millicom bought Telefónica’s 67.5 percent stake in Colombia Telecomunicaciones (Coltel/Movistar) on February 6, 2026, for approximately USD 214.4 million. On April 27, 2026, Millicom bought the remaining 32.5 percent from the Colombian government (La Nación).

The official Movistar FAQ explains what this transition means for mobile subscribers:

• The Movistar commercial brand transitions to Tigo starting in October 2026.
• Mobile phone screens will automatically update their network operator display from Movistar to Tigo starting in November 2026.
• Physical Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards, existing phone numbers, contracted plan rates, and mobile agreements remain completely active without requiring customer replacement.
• Customers continue managing lines inside the Mi Movistar smartphone application during the initial transition period.
• Digital billing payments migrate from Movistar’s payment portal to Tigo’s web portal (mi.tigo.com.co) starting in November 2026.
• Store integration is still being evaluated.

Following the transaction, Tigo announced an infrastructure investment plan of COP 8.5 trillion over four years. Tigo said the plan includes deploying more than 1,100 new cellular sites to expand its national network to 11,500 sites, with over 4,000 locations configured for 5G by 2028. On October 9, 2023, the Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (SIC) authorized Tigo and Movistar to integrate their mobile access networks in more than 700 municipalities. The two remained competitors until the Millicom purchase.

If you buy a Movistar line now, you keep the same SIM, number and plan rate when the brand changes to Tigo, according to Movistar’s FAQ.

MovilPT and the Former WOM Brand

WOM Colombia entered formal business reorganization proceedings before the Superintendencia de Sociedades on May 2, 2024. In January 2025, WOM Colombia announced that SUR Holdings had acquired it.

MovilPT’s branding changed during 2025 and 2026:

• The formal brand licensing agreement permitting Partners Telecom Colombia to use the Chilean “WOM” trademark expired on July 21, 2025.
• In February 2026, the Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio issued Auto 7289, ordering Partners Telecom Colombia to immediately halt use of the WOM trademark and the wom.co web domain.
• The wom.co web address no longer resolves, and customer service transitioned to the temporary domain movilpt.co.
• MovilPT continues selling prepaid cards, postpaid packages, and mobile devices while customers access account management via the existing Mi WOM App.
• MovilPT has announced that a permanent new corporate brand name is pending launch.

In Opensignal’s April 2026 evaluation, MovilPT WOM retained the mobile Games Experience award with 54.2 points. However, it placed last across core connectivity categories, recording a Coverage Experience score of 2.6 out of 10 and an average download speed of 14.3 Mbps. Colombia’s December 20, 2023 5G auction awarded 80 MHz blocks in the 3.5 GHz band to Claro, the joint Tigo-Movistar bid, WOM and Telecall. By the end of 2024, DPL News found that WOM had shown no 5G coverage.

MovilPT had the lowest Coverage Experience score of the four networks, so check its coverage map for every town you plan to visit before you buy a MovilPT line.

Virtual Operators and Low-Cost Alternatives

Mobile Virtual Network Operators hold 5.8 percent of Colombia’s mobile lines, according to CRC data through March 2026. MVNOs operate by renting a third party’s network.

Móvil Éxito has overtaken Virgin Mobile as Colombia’s largest MVNO. In the second quarter of 2026, CRC number portability statistics confirmed that Móvil Éxito gained a net balance of 8,400 transferred lines, while Virgin Mobile posted a net negative balance. Móvil Éxito established its service on Tigo’s mobile network and subsequently signed an agreement to expand service onto Claro’s network infrastructure.

Virgin Mobile Colombia remains active in the prepaid market. On its official portal, Virgin Mobile states that it operates as an MVNO renting its cellular signal from an external carrier. Its web pages link customers directly to both Movistar and Tigo coverage verification maps. On October 18, 2026, Virgin Mobile listed monthly subscription packs including 30 GB plus 10 GB promotional data for COP 23,000, as well as an unlimited data option for COP 90,000.

When you purchase service from an MVNO, the coverage you receive is that of the host network.

Checking Official Coverage Maps

Do not rely on national marketing claims when picking a mobile carrier. Cellular signal strength varies across locations, and coverage differs between cities and rural areas.

Always verify the exact address of your rental apartment, house, or rural finca using each operator’s official mapping interface:

• Check Claro’s 4G and 5G signal reach by department and municipality on the Claro mobile coverage tool, or search specific street coordinates on the Claro interactive mini-site map.
• Review Tigo’s mobile coverage and its list of 5G cities on the Tigo national coverage map.
• Inspect Movistar’s mobile and 5G coverage on the Movistar mobile coverage map.
• MovilPT’s homepage at movilpt.co links to its coverage map (Mapa de cobertura).

If you are purchasing a rural finca, test line performance on-site across different carriers before settling on a permanent provider (buying a finca in Colombia). For home internet installation options in apartments, compare our review of internet and cable TV in Colombia.

Buying a Cell Line as a Foreigner

Buying a Colombian mobile line requires completing mandatory regulatory identification. Under CRC Resolución 5050 (amended by Resolución 7684 of 2025), operators are prohibited from activating any prepaid physical SIM card or virtual eSIM without first registering the subscriber’s identification document type, document number, and document issue date.

These registration rules apply to foreign travelers and residents:

• Foreign citizens can use a foreign passport to register a prepaid SIM card or eSIM. For a foreigner registering with a passport, the operator records the data and may verify it later; other documents are checked in real time.
• If you use a physical SIM card, you can purchase it at official carrier retail stores (centros de atención y ventas or centros de experiencia).
• Tigo’s website has a “Travel to Colombia” menu item linking to an international prepaid eSIM that you buy and activate online. The package includes unlimited data and unlimited phone calls inside Colombia for 30 calendar days at a published price of COP 100,000 (shown as approximately USD 25 on an indicative basis). The phone must be unlocked.
• Movistar eSIM service is available for prepaid and postpaid plans starting from COP 20,000, purchased online or in retail experience centers. The eSIM cannot be transferred between devices once installed.
• Claro eSIM activations carry no service fee for active prepaid and postpaid subscribers. However, Claro’s web platform requires identity validation through a one-time SMS password and facial scanning inside the Mi Claro application, restricting new online eSIM purchases primarily to existing accounts.

Movistar’s website has no English version or language selector, and we found no English option on Claro’s or Tigo’s sites.

After installing a local Colombian SIM or eSIM in a smartphone brought from abroad, you must comply with Colombia’s anti-theft equipment regulations. Under CRC Resolución 5050 (modified by Resolución 7811 of 2025), you must register your phone’s International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number with your mobile operator.

If you fail to register your device within 20 calendar days after receiving the carrier’s notification SMS, the carrier enters your IMEI into the national negative database (“No registrado”). This administrative block shuts off network service across all Colombian operators. A block for not registering can be reversed: register the phone with your operator afterwards, and the operator then has at most 60 continuous hours to remove it from the negative database. Read our step-by-step guides on how to get a Colombian phone number and will my phone work in Colombia to clear device registration correctly.

Next Steps for Setting Up Your Cell Service

Check each operator’s coverage map for your neighborhood or municipality, then buy a prepaid SIM or eSIM from the operator with the strongest signal there.

If you travel frequently between rural towns, start with a Claro prepaid line to ensure broad geographical signal access. If you reside full-time in urban areas like Medellín or Bogotá, consider Tigo or Movistar for higher network reliability and faster 5G download speeds. When calculating your wider monthly budget for life in Medellín, consult our overview of the cost of living in Medellín.

If you are moving to Colombia or buying property there, contact the Colombia Desk team.