As he progresses 5G deployment in the world, Latin America is not far behind. Such is the case of Mexico, which began with the coverage of this technology by Telcel in 18 main cities. However, in Colombia the doubt persists about how the process of this deployment is going and if the fifth generation connectivity is far from being a reality.
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And it is that without the auction of the spectrum, which was scheduled for the end of 2021 by the Government of Iván Duque, added to an election year, the outlook is cloudy for the operators, who continue to develop 5G pilots, while waiting for a breakthrough.
According to the ICT Ministry, Colombia has become a benchmark in the region due to the 5G Plan that was published in 2019 and that to date has achieved 50 pilots in seven cities of the country in charge of six companies. Thus, in order to guarantee the implementation of this technology and that there are no delays, this ministry has repeatedly mentioned that it has been working on a legal framework to continue with this objective.
Portfolio consulted the Ministry of ICT, to find out how this roadmap is progressing, but no response was received.
However, telecommunications experts, such as Jorge Negrete, president of the Digital Policy & Law Group, point out that although Colombia is the leader in digital thought in Latin America, “it does not make” progress.
Among the reasons that would hold the country back, according to Negrete, is the high price of the radio spectrum, which does not allow companies to make their deployments. “5G needs more spectrum, 10 times more fiber optics and 10 times more base stations than 4G. But it will be impossible to deploy it because there is no money to reach with those prices”, affirmed Negrete.
Along these lines, Asomóvil has said that in order to make that leap to 5G, it is not only necessary to review the value of the spectrum, but also the current regulations, elements that would be key for get more investment.
“Colombia cannot continue to be one of the countries with the most expensive spectrum in the world if we want 5G, not only do we have to remove the barriers to deployment, but also the regulatory barriers. If the spectrum is expensive we will have little investment in the infrastructure that keeps us from being better connected”, affirmed Samuel Hoyos, president of Asomóvil.
(What’s more: 5G network would help close the gap between Latin America and advanced economies).
The professor of the Telecommunications engineering program at the Santo Tomás de Bucaramanga University, Yuli Andrea Álvarez Pizarro, stated that with all these bumps in the road, 5G connectivity in the country could be delay a couple more years.
“According to international organizations we are projected to have Colombian users in 5G in 2025, but with the pandemic, the delay in the auction and in an election year that time could be extended. However, priority should be given to connecting the entire country in 4GAlvarez commented.
What do the operators think?
Although companies like Tigo, Claro and Movistar Pilots have been advancing in recent years to adopt this new technology, in fields such as health, education and industry, the truth is that opinions about 5G are beginning to be divided.
For Juan Carlos Archila, president of América Móvil Colombia, parent company of Claro, an operator that has been carrying out a 5G pilot with Ecopetrol, the country would be delaying in the adoption of this technology for not concluding the spectrum auction on time.
“We have already overcome that phase of understanding the technology. What is happening in the world today is that more than 70 countries are already going to have 5G networks this year and Colombia is being left out of the picture, since the band’s spectrum auction was not held in the country. of 3,500 MHz that was planned and what is happening is that we are going to be delayed. We are already behind with 4G, in the sense that this fourth generation technology is not reaching all corners of the countryArchila said.
In addition, added the executive, that it is already necessary to advance from the pilot phase to a real application. “The pilot tests are very good, but they are not for commercial use and the country is not taking advantage of this technology,” added Archila.
(Read: Wayra opened the first 5G laboratory in the country for entrepreneurs).
On the other hand, Marcelo Cataldo, president of Tigo, stated that although they consider 5G to be the future, the short-term and “urgent” goal, before deploying this new technology in large cities, is expand 4G networks in all territoriesincluding rural Colombia.
“We understand the scope that 5G has, but that the goal in the short term, the urgent thing, is still to expand 4G networks in the territories. 4G has to reach rural and deep Colombia before starting the deployment of 5G in big cities”, explained Cataldo.
During the launch of the Wayra 5G laboratory, Movistar’s corporate fund, the president and CEO of Telefónica Colombia, Fabián Hernández, commented that the route proposed by the MinTIC to generate pilots has been very important, since the most important thing “is that citizens know what its application will be so that when 5G arrives we are already advanced,” Hernández concluded.
JOHANA LORDUY
