Colombia: Colombia’s 5G spectrum raises $380 million

Colombia’s ICT Ministry MinTIC has confirmed that the country's 5G spectrum auction raised about $380 million, falling short of the expected $500 million. 

Claro, Partners Telecom Colombia (WOM), and Union Temporal Colombia Móvil-Telefónica all secured 5G licenses in the auction, which lasted nine rounds, with each telco securing a block of 80MHz in the 3.5GHz band, while Claro secured an additional block of spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band.

Lizcano described the auction as "historical", saying that the operators will begin the deployment of 5G from February, while he expects investment in 5G to reach 28 trillion pesos (around $7.11 billion) in the next decade. Similarly, Argentia’s 5G auction, which was held in October raised $875 million rather, failing to hit the expected $1 billion mark.