Colombia’s next phase of Digital Transformation will depend on sustained investment in broadband infrastructure, regulatory reform and rural connectivity projects to close the country’s digital divide and support long-term economic growth.
Colombia’s incoming ICT minister will inherit one of Latin America’s most demanding Digital Transformation agendas, with billions of dollars of network investment, regulatory reform and rural connectivity projects requiring sustained momentum if the country is to close its digital divide.
According to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Colombia will need US$5.8 billion in fixed and mobile network investment to reach connectivity levels comparable with OECD countries. Around 41% of that funding will be directed towards extending broadband infrastructure into rural and underserved regions, highlighting the scale of the country’s remaining connectivity challenge.
While president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella has appointed Alexandra Falla as ICT minister, industry attention has focused less on the appointment itself and more on the technological priorities awaiting the incoming administration.
Industry association Andesco has called for a long-term national digital strategy extending to 2030, arguing that Colombia needs stable policies that survive political cycles if it is to attract private investment in telecommunications infrastructure.
The organisation said the next government must accelerate Digital Transformation, strengthen trust in digital services, reduce connectivity gaps and create regulatory conditions that encourage continued investment.
One of the largest infrastructure programmes already underway is the Fiber Optics for the Amazon project, which has secured funding of 1.1 trillion pesos (approximately US$340 million).
The initiative aims to connect more than 100,000 households and serve approximately 227,000 residents across the Amazonas and Putumayo regions through a combination of river-based fibre infrastructure and links to international optical networks.
The project also represents an important step towards greater regional integration, connecting with Brazil’s InfoVías network and Cirion’s South American Crossing (SAC) submarine cable landing at Buenaventura.
Together, these assets are expected to improve resilience, increase international bandwidth capacity and extend high-speed Internet access into some of Colombia’s most geographically challenging regions.
Despite significant progress, Colombia’s digital landscape remains uneven.
The country now has nearly 50 million mobile Internet connections and more than 10 million fixed broadband subscriptions, with over 82% of the population using the Internet. However, an estimated 16.79 million people still experience digital poverty, underlining the need for continued infrastructure investment and affordable access.
Outgoing ICT minister Carina Murcia said the current administration connected 3.5 million additional households to the Internet, increasing national coverage from 59.5% to 73.9% while rural coverage rose from 32.2% to 56.9%.
The government also connected 19,000 schools, including 15,687 during the current administration, deployed nearly 6,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable after six years of limited network expansion and accelerated the country’s 5G rollout.
More than 9.2 million 5G connections have now been established across 209 municipalities following the national spectrum auction.
As Colombia enters its next phase of Digital Transformation, the greatest challenge may not be launching new programmes but maintaining regulatory certainty and investment confidence.
With billions of dollars still required to modernise national communications infrastructure, sustaining private sector participation while extending high-speed connectivity to remote communities will remain central to the country’s long-term digital ambitions.
