Tigo Nicaragua operates under the Tigo brand, owned by Millicom International Cellular SA. Millicom was founded on December 14, 1990, by Shelby Bryan, Jan Stenbeck, Telma Sosa, and Olvin Galdamez. The company is headquartered in Luxembourg and provides digital services across nine Latin American markets, including Nicaragua. In 2019, Telefónica sold its operations in Nicaragua to Millicom, which now operates under the Tigo brand. The main shareholder of Millicom is Xavier Niel, a French billionaire who, through his company Atlas Investissement, holds a 27.13% stake in the company as of 2023. Following this acquisition, three new directors from Atlas Investissement joined Millicom's board of directors in May 2023.
Country
Nicaragua
Type
Mobile Network Operator
Ownership
Millicom International
Tigo Logo

3G Network

Tigo Nicaragua's 3G network was initially launched by Telefónica under the Movistar brand in 2009, utilising the 850 MHz and 1900 MHz frequency bands. The network provided HSPA+ services, offering data speeds up to 21 Mbps.

Network Frequency Band Status
B2 (1900 MHz)
Active
B5 (850 MHz)
Active
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 3G Network
Launch

4G Network

The 4G LTE network in Nicaragua was launched in November 2015, with Movistar (now Tigo) starting operations on the 1900 MHz (band 2) frequency in Managua. This network was subsequently expanded to cover additional cities, including San Juan del Sur, León, Chinandega, Masaya, Granada, Estelí, and Matagalpa, between 2016 and 2017. By 2018, the 4G LTE network had reached approximately 50 cities across Nicaragua. Tigo Nicaragua's 4G network is known for its coverage experience, contributing significantly to its market share in the mobile sector, where it holds nearly a third of the market. Despite Claro's dominance in terms of speed and quality, Tigo has excelled in providing extensive coverage.

4G Frequency Bands
Network Frequency Band Max. Channel Bandwidth Status Known EARFCNs
B2 (1900 MHz)
15
Active
825, 850
B4 (1700 MHz)
Active
2250
B28 (700 MHz)
Active
9310
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 4G Network
Launch

5G Network

As of December 2024, there have been no commercial launches of 5G services by Tigo Nicaragua. However, the Nicaraguan Telecom Institute (Telcor) has been actively involved in spectrum planning and clearing for 5G services. The government has reserved the 3300 MHz to 3700 MHz bands for 5G services as part of its "National Plan to Fight Poverty and for Human Development 2022-2026." While Tigo has not yet launched 5G services, the groundwork is being laid for future deployment, with spectrum reorganisation anticipated to meet the bandwidth specifications required for 5G technology.

Date Event Subtype