Company Description
Millicom International Cellular S.A. (NASDAQ: TIGO) is a telecommunications company focused on fixed and mobile services in Latin America. Operating under the TIGO and Tigo Business brands, the company provides connectivity and digital services across multiple Latin American markets, with operations spanning eleven countries. Millicom positions itself as a telecommunications group that builds and operates what it calls digital highways, offering mobile and fiber-cable services to millions of customers in the region.
According to its disclosures, Millicom offers fixed and mobile telecommunications services, supported by fiber-cable networks that reach a large number of homes. The company reports that, including its Honduras joint venture, it serves more than 46 million customers and has a fiber-cable footprint that passes over 14 million homes. These services are delivered through its consumer and business-focused brands, with Tigo Business addressing business-to-business needs.
Millicom’s portfolio includes digital services and products that complement its core connectivity offerings. These include TIGO Money for mobile financial services, TIGO Sports for local entertainment, and TIGO ONEtv for pay TV. In addition, the company highlights high-speed data and voice services, as well as business-to-business solutions such as cloud and security. Together, these services are aimed at consumers, enterprises, and institutional customers that rely on reliable connectivity and digital platforms.
Founded in 1990, Millicom International Cellular S.A. is headquartered in Luxembourg, with principal executive offices in Doral, Florida. The company identifies Latin America as its core geographic focus and emphasizes its role in advancing digital inclusion and development in the markets where it operates. Through its acquisitions and network investments, Millicom has expanded its regional footprint and reinforced its role as part of the Latin American telecommunications landscape.
Business focus and regional footprint
Millicom describes itself as a provider of fixed and mobile telecommunications services in Latin America, with a strategy centered on expanding digital access and connectivity. Its operations include mobile telephony, broadband internet over fiber-cable networks, and pay TV, as well as associated digital services. The company’s disclosure notes that its mobile and fiber-cable services are delivered through digital highways, a term it uses to describe its network infrastructure.
The company has expanded its presence in South America through acquisitions. It has completed the acquisition of Telefónica’s telecommunications operations in Uruguay and Ecuador, and it reports that, with these additions, its operations now span eleven countries. Millicom states that these transactions are part of a broader strategy to deepen its presence in South America and to reinforce its position as a regional telecommunications group focused on digital connectivity.
In Paraguay, Millicom operates through its wholly owned subsidiary Telefónica Celular del Paraguay S.A.E. under the Tigo brand. This subsidiary is described as a provider of communications, information, entertainment, and solutions services in Paraguay, offering mobile telephony, cable, and broadband internet. Through such subsidiaries, Millicom extends its fixed and mobile service offerings across different Latin American markets.
Brands and service lines
Millicom’s core consumer and business offerings are organized under several brands:
- TIGO: the primary brand for consumer mobile and fixed services in Latin America.
- Tigo Business: focused on business-to-business solutions, including connectivity and related services.
- TIGO Money: a mobile financial services platform.
- TIGO Sports: a local entertainment offering.
- TIGO ONEtv: a pay TV service.
Across these brands, Millicom reports that it provides high-speed data, voice, pay TV, and digital services, as well as cloud and security solutions for business customers. These offerings are designed to run over its mobile and fixed networks, including fiber-cable infrastructure that passes millions of homes.
Corporate structure, listings, and scale
Millicom is a foreign private issuer that files reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under Form 20-F and Form 6-K. The company’s shares trade on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol TIGO. As of the dates referenced in its filings and press releases, Millicom, including its Honduras joint venture, employed approximately 14,000 people and served more than 46 million customers, with a fiber-cable footprint over 14 million homes passed. These figures illustrate the scale of its operations in Latin America.
The company’s financial reporting highlights revenue from telecommunications services and related operations, as well as the contribution from its joint venture in Honduras. Millicom’s interim condensed consolidated financial statements detail revenue, operating profit, net profit attributable to owners of the company, and other financial metrics, reflecting its activities across fixed and mobile services, digital products, and infrastructure-related transactions.
Compliance, governance, and regulatory context
Millicom’s filings and press releases also describe aspects of its compliance and governance framework. The company has reported on an investigation involving its subsidiary Comunicaciones Celulares S.A. (Comcel) related to historical improper payments to Guatemalan government officials. Millicom voluntarily self-reported alleged improper payments in 2015 to U.S. and Swedish authorities and later disclosed a subpoena received in 2022. The matter has been addressed through a deferred prosecution agreement between Comcel and the U.S. Department of Justice, under which Comcel agreed to pay a fine and forfeit benefits derived from the improper payments. Millicom states that it has invested in strengthening its global corporate compliance program and that Comcel now operates under Millicom’s global standards.
In its half-year and quarterly reports, Millicom also discusses risk factors, financial risk management, and forward-looking statements. The company identifies risks related to economic conditions in its markets, foreign exchange fluctuations, competitive dynamics, regulatory changes, and other factors that can affect its operations and financial results. These disclosures are part of its broader reporting obligations as a listed company and a foreign private issuer.
Capital structure and shareholder returns
Millicom’s interim management report describes its approach to shareholder remuneration, including cash dividends and share repurchases. The company has outlined a shareholder remuneration policy under which it aims to resume and sustain regular cash dividends while maintaining what it considers a prudent capital structure. It has announced dividends, including interim and special interim dividends, and has engaged in share repurchase programs, as reflected in its statements of changes in equity.
The company’s financial statements detail its equity structure, including share capital, share premium, treasury shares, retained profits, and other reserves. They also describe debt and financing arrangements, lease liabilities, and other obligations, providing insight into how Millicom finances its network investments, acquisitions, and ongoing operations in Latin America.
FAQs about Millicom International Cellular S.A. (TIGO)
- What does Millicom International Cellular S.A. do?
Millicom provides fixed and mobile telecommunications services in Latin America. Through its TIGO and Tigo Business brands, it offers mobile telephony, broadband over fiber-cable networks, pay TV, high-speed data, voice, and digital services, as well as cloud and security solutions for business customers.
- Where is Millicom headquartered?
Millicom International Cellular S.A. is headquartered in Luxembourg. The company also notes that its principal executive offices are located in Doral, Florida.
- In which region does Millicom primarily operate?
Millicom focuses on Latin America. It describes itself as a provider of fixed and mobile telecommunications services in Latin America and reports operations spanning eleven countries in the region.
- What stock exchange is Millicom listed on, and what is its ticker symbol?
Millicom’s shares trade on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol TIGO. The company files reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a foreign private issuer.
- What brands does Millicom use for its services?
Millicom operates primarily under the TIGO and Tigo Business brands. It also offers specific services under brands such as TIGO Money for mobile financial services, TIGO Sports for local entertainment, and TIGO ONEtv for pay TV.
- How large is Millicom’s customer base and network footprint?
Millicom reports that, including its Honduras joint venture, it provides mobile and fiber-cable services to more than 46 million customers. Its fiber-cable network passes over 14 million homes in its Latin American markets.
- When was Millicom founded?
Millicom International Cellular S.A. was founded in 1990, according to its corporate disclosures.
- What types of digital services does Millicom offer beyond connectivity?
Beyond core connectivity, Millicom offers digital services and products such as TIGO Money for mobile financial services, TIGO Sports for local entertainment, TIGO ONEtv for pay TV, and business-to-business solutions including cloud and security services.
- How does Millicom describe its role in Latin America’s digital development?
Millicom states that it focuses on connecting people, driving digital inclusion, and contributing to the development of the markets in which it operates. It emphasizes investment in digital highways and next-generation networks that support individuals, businesses, and governments.
- Has Millicom been involved in any notable regulatory or compliance matters?
Yes. Millicom has reported on an investigation involving its subsidiary Comunicaciones Celulares S.A. (Comcel) related to historical improper payments to Guatemalan government officials. The matter is being resolved through a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, and Millicom highlights its cooperation, remediation efforts, and investments in its global compliance program.