The inauguration ceremony of the new mobile connectivity antenna in El Pedregal was attended by the CEO of Millicom/Tigo, Mauricio Ramos; the general manager of Tigo El Salvador, Edgard Grande; the Minister of Economy, María Luisa Hayem; the Superintendent of the General Superintendence of Electricity and Telecommunications, Manuel Aguilar; the Undersecretary of Innovation, Fabrizio Mena, community representatives, Tigo's strategic allies and collaborators, among others.

This antenna connects a 7 km2 territory of Cantón El Pedregal, which will provide high-speed mobile communication to 3,000 inhabitants, mostly women. It will also impact a school with 500 students, four churches (two of them with community clinics), retail stores, two hardware stores, an iguana farm, a charity center, and housing. In Cantón El Pedregal, Tigo has 10 Tigo points of sale and 2 Tigo Money points, which will contribute to generate employment opportunities and digital and financial inclusion.

Tigo's arrival with this investment is also accompanied by training in the safe and productive use of the Internet that will be given to children, young people, women and teachers through its ESG programs in support of the community "Conectadas", "Maestros conectados" and "Conectate Seguro", in coordination with the mayor's office of El Rosario.

This achievement is the result of a partnership between the central government, Tigo El Salvador, the municipal government and the community of Cantón El Pedregal in the municipality of Rosario.

"It fills me with pride to say that we are working to bring that growth and support in closing the digital and financial gap in a constant way, in favor of the communities. This is one of hundreds of sites nationwide that have been built or upgraded in El Salvador as part of our investment plan, to provide the best digital experience to more than 5 million salvadorans, bringing connectivity and speeds up to 10 times faster to salvadorans", commented Mauricio Ramos, CEO of Tigo during the event.

"On behalf of the community I want to express our gratitude, thank you for allowing us to connect with the world. Before we had to go out to look for a little ray of signal and now, we are not only connected but with a good speed; we have to make the most of this resource for our children's studies, for our businesses, to sell more and grow", said Maritza Beltrán, representative of the community of El Pedregal and owner of Tienda Darlin, which is also a Tigo Money point.

With new radio spectrum, Tigo El Salvador has consistently invested in the expansion and modernization of its fixed and mobile networks in El Salvador. In 2019 Tigo committed to invest $500 million for the next 5 years in digital infrastructure, which it has executed in an accelerated manner as a result of the connectivity needs that have arisen with the pandemic.

In terms of the mobile network, in 2021 Tigo has increased the capacity of its network in 232 municipalities in the country so that 5 million people can navigate faster and, in 2022, coverage will be extended to 70 municipalities in 14 departments of the country, benefiting half a million people. In the case of the fixed network, Tigo is bringing residential internet and cable television services to areas where these services were not available.

In 2021, work was carried out on the modernization, reconstruction and new fixed Internet services for the benefit of 200 thousand people in 20 municipalities and 5 departments, and by 2022 the benefit will reach 75 thousand homes for the benefit of 300 thousand people.

About the visit of Millicom executives to El Salvador

The visit takes place around Tigo's 30th anniversary in El Salvador. Mauricio Ramos, CEO of Millicom, last visited the country in 2019, this is the first time he returns to the country after the pandemic. The objective of the visit is to have direct and close contact with the El Salvador operation team, allies and beneficiaries of the company's ESG and CSR programs.

ESG and CSR programs

Also visiting El Salvador are executives Karim Lesina, Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Institutional Relations of Millicom/Tigo; and Susy Bobenrieth, Executive Vice President of Human Resources of Millicom/Tigo.