Colombia greenlights four operators for 5G spectrum auction

Four operators have been approved to participate in Colombia’s auction to offer fifth-generation (5G) cellular data services, the communications ministry said.

Among those approved are the operators of Claro and WOM, as well as Union Temporal Colombia Movil-Telefonica, a partnership between the operators of Movistar and Tigo, the ministry said in a statement late on Monday.

Telecall Colombia S.A.S., the fourth approved bidder, is a Brazilian telecoms coming looking to enter the Colombian market.

The government expects to raise about $500 million via the Dec. 20 auction and join regional neighbors like Argentina and Mexico, where 5G is already available.

The frequencies up for auction include 700 megahertz (MHz), 1900 MHz, 2500 MHz and 3500 MHz, as well as others in the extended AWS band of frequencies, which range from 1,700 MHz to 2,100 MHz, the government has said. Reuters