After Digicel’s exit from the market in Panama, effective April 21, the mobile phone industry will now be dominated by only two companies. Digicel voluntarily liquidated its operations in 2022 after over a decade of presence in the country, leaving Cable&Wireless from the multinational Liberty and TIGO from the multinational Millicom as the primary players in the mobile telephony sector.

This shift follows the departure of Claro earlier, who sold its assets to Cable&Wireless, reducing the number of operators from four to two. Digicel Panama has notified its customers to transfer their services to either of the remaining operators by April 20, 2024. So far, 70% of prepaid and postpaid customers have successfully migrated.

Affected customers have the option to purchase a new prepaid chip or sign a service contract with their preferred operator, along with portability services at no additional cost, available at designated locations of the remaining operators.

The decision came after the closure of Public Tender No. 01-2023-Telco by the National Public Services Authority, which aimed to grant a new concession to operate Digicel’s services without success.

In April 2022, Digicel announced its voluntary liquidation, having held an operating license since 2008. President Laurentino Cortizo had previously suggested that Digicel’s exit might attract new investors to the sector, though this has not yet materialized, leaving the country with only two mobile phone operators.