# Overview of Mobile Communications in Colombia and Introduction to 5G
## 3 Analysis and Results
### Failures in 5G Deployment in Colombia  
The advantages of 5G over previous technologies are considerable: faster download speeds, lower latency, and the ability to connect more devices [70]. Despite this, its implementation has not been easy at the global level, and even less so in Colombia. Ericsson, in its Global Mobility Report 2021 [47], indicated that the regions of the world with the highest number of 5G connections were North America and Northeast Asia, reaching only 20% and 24%, respectively, of total mobile connections. As for Europe, there is no significant growth, which contrasts with the economic power of this region, which is home to some of the world's most important economies (e.g., England, Germany, France, and Italy). In this case, Western Europe accounted for 6% of 5G subscriptions, but projections indicate that by 2027 it could be the region with the second-highest number of 5G connections. Although standards such as Release 15 and 16 have already been approved [71], there is no unified view on what 5G can actually be defined as, and this is partly due to the particular interests of each of the actors involved in the mobile communications environment: regulators, consumers, technology manufacturers, service enablers, and connectivity providers, among others [72]. Some of the main issues associated with the deployment of 5G around the world relate to (1) people's concerns about health impacts due to radio frequency emissions and the potential for 5G use in the future [73], (2) high  
Figure 11: Actions implemented by the MinICT for the adoption of 5G. Source: [68; 69]. infrastructure investment costs and forced changes of users' terminal equipment [74] and (3) the number and type of radio spectrum bands needed for 5G [75]. In the case of Colombia, various situations have not allowed the concrete development of 5G in the country. One of the main drawbacks is the allocation of spectrum for commercial 5G developments, which causes delays, especially for operators, who cannot plan their network and acquire technology until this aspect is defined. In the Latin American context, Colombia ranks sixth, with an occupancy of 485 MHz for IMT (International Mobile Telecommunications) services, while the average in the region is 490 MHz [49; 61], (See Figure 12). This situation undermines Colombia's competitiveness, as investments in mobile telecommunications are large, and few companies can afford them. Proof of this is that three operators (Claro, Tigo, and Movistar) account for 71% of occupancy, while the remaining 29% is shared between three companies (Direct TV, Avantel, and WOM). In addition, the current spectrum caps are 90 MHz in the high bands and 45 MHz in the low bands [54]. Therefore, the limited availability of the resource and its concentration in a small number of providers limits the intentions of other companies to enter the Colombian market and make the necessary investments to increase coverage and offer modern services (see Figure 13). Figure 12: IMT spectrum in Latin America. Source: [49]. Figure 13: Percentage of IMT spectrum occupation by operators in Colombia. Source: [54]. In addition to the insufficient amount of IMT spectrum, assignment processes in Colombia are lengthy and slow to be structured due to their complexity and the substantial resources involved [51]. For this reason, in-depth and specialized (but lengthy) studies are carried out to ensure economic management that maximizes profit. In addition, there are the interests of incumbent operators seeking to make better profits and maintain their dominant position. In this regard, only four auctions have been held since the regulation was published (2010, 2011, 2013, and 2019).