Colombia’s telecoms regulator announced operators Claro, Movistar, WOM and Tigo agreed to invest a total of COP3.5 billion (US$876m) into connectivity infrastructure, a move to connect a further 12 million new users and increase the number of connected citizens.
ICT Minister Mauricio Lizcano said in a statement from the Ministerio de Tecnologias de la Informacion y las Comunicaciones (MinTIC), that operators will invest to connect 1,369 locations.
Additionally, over the next three months, operators will present their plan to invest a further COP2.5 billion to achieve the government’s overall goal of increasing the rate of connected Colombians from 65% to 85%.
MinTIC, all four operators and the Colombian mobile industry association Asomovil union were at a presentation where the agreement was struck.
Asmovil president Samuel Hoyos said the agreement will benefit connectivity and thus society through economic growth.
MinTIC outlined that in order to bring 4G and 5G technology up to speed, 8,131 2G base stations and 22,424 3G sites must be migrated to 4G before the end of June 2026. At the end of this period, Colombia will have a “modernised” mobile network enabling more connections.
