The MinTIC and telecommunications operators announced the agreement for the connection in Colombia, with an investment of $3.5 billion so that the communication companies, fulfilling their obligations, can connect 12 million new users.
“This goal begins to be implemented today, as we open the $1 billion pass-through obligations, in which operators must invest to connect 1,369 locations. In addition, in the next three months they will present projects so that we can reach an additional $ 2.5 billion in investment and thus support the goal of going from 60% to 85% of those connected in Colombia.“said the minister of ICT, Mauricio Lizcano.
The presidents and leaders of the telecommunications operators Claro, Movistar, Wom, Tigo and the Asomóvil union in the agreement, who emphasized that this announcement is of great importance for the country, because it means making investments in the industry survive. connection for millions of Colombians.
“This will mean greater access to the benefits of connectivity and will undoubtedly achieve economic growth and structurally impact social well-being. Now we have shown that joint work between the Ministry and private industry is possible so that the flow of investment and infrastructure can be deployed.“said the president of Asomóvil, Samuel Hoyos.
The ICT sector leader emphasized that “The resources to be invested within the framework of this agreement are not public money. It is the telecommunication companies that should advance the investments and projects“.
In order to speed up the process of updating 4G and 5G technology, the antennas of 8,131 2G stations and 22,424 from 3G to 4G must be transferred before June 2026, where at the end of four years time, the country will have a fully modern mobile phone network that will allow many Colombians to access broadband Internet connections.
