# Overview of Mobile Communications in Colombia and Introduction to 5G
## 3 Analysis and Results
### Expectations for the Implementation of 5G in Colombia
Moreover, its operation requires many resources (water, soil, fertilizers, nutrients), which need to be optimized to reduce costs and minimize its impact on the environment. Modern agriculture is framed within the concept of Industry 4.0, and integrates tools such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data (BD), unmanned vehicles (UAVs), and IoT, among others [50,88], and all of them use large amounts of data in their operation, hence the importance of 5G in the communication phase. Like e-health, agriculture benefits from remote monitoring of variables, in this case related to the state of plants, soil, or climate [89]. However, it can also be used in the transmission of data to UAVs or in the control of irrigation systems, or in the management of commercial crops. As with medicine, it is difficult to provide quality education at any level in the most remote areas of Colombia. This is due to different factors, but perhaps the most influential are (1) geographical isolation, which is reflected in the quality test results of pupils in rural areas; and (2) the low interest of teachers with higher levels of education to serve in hard-to-reach areas [90]. In this sense, 5G opens up great possibilities as a tool to bring courses taught in urban areas and the best institutions to the most remote rural areas, reinforcing teaching mechanisms with remote access through ICTs [91]. Students in urban areas, especially in universities, are also expected to create new digital skills based on tools, including AI, BD, IoT, 5G, and VR [92,93]. The fifth-generation network is also an alternative communication network that enables the transmission of data to police, military, and other law enforcement agencies. Although security indices have improved in Colombia, the perception of insecurity among citizens is currently high, especially in urban areas, with a rate of 42.6 percent in urban areas and 26.3 percent in rural areas [94]. Public or private surveillance activities make use of 5G in some countries, benefiting from the high speeds enabled by the eMBB scenario and the large number of devices (e.g., video cameras) that are possible in mMTC. The use of 5G/IoT generates development expectations in different social and economic sectors in Colombia. However, its implementation poses challenges for operators and regulators, given the country's geographical and socioeconomic conditions. For example, in 2024, when the commitments made by operators in the 2019 auction are fulfilled, there will still be a significant percentage of the territory (approximately 20%) without 4G network coverage, which would be the basis for the first 5G networks, and as these areas are very remote from urban centers and have a population with low purchasing power, the deployment of modern cellular telephone networks is not attractive due to the difficulties in recovering the investment. Therefore, there is a need to develop strategies to facilitate 5G coverage in remote areas. Regarding the territories with coverage, a large part of the population does not make effective use of the technological tools associated with IoT, causing a high level of nonformalization and low use of these tools [95]. In that sense, the availability of the 5G/IoT service will not be sufficient if people are not properly trained to take advantage of it. Table 6 provides an overview of the applications of 5G as a communication scenario in the use cases of health, agriculture, education, and public safety. These sectors are considered in this document as their relevance has been highlighted in Colombia's National Development Plan. In addition, some of them are part of some pilot tests and initiatives for the future deployment of 5G in this country.