# Overview of Mobile Communications in Colombia and Introduction to 5G
## 3 Analysis and Results
### Deployment of 5G in Colombia  
As explained in Section 1.2, the MinICT has planned the implementation of 5G in Colombia through the official document called \"Plan 5G\", which is the roadmap for the sector. Subsequently, there have been different actions aimed at the adoption of 5G in Colombia, and in that sense, in 2019, the MinICT invited those interested in conducting 5G pilot tests to express their interest in participating [63]. Finally, in 2020, the final list was published, consisting of 52 entities and 24 individuals (76 in total), interested in testing mainly in the 3.3 GHz to 3.7 GHz band (See Figure 9). In terms of reported use cases for testing, there was interest in deploying 5G in different scenarios: smart cities, education, agriculture, entertainment, virtual reality (VR), public safety, health, and transport (see Figure 10). This demonstrates the projection of those interested in integrating 5G in different economic or social sectors in Colombia. A large number of permit applications and areas of application interest presented in Figures 9 and 10 demonstrate that 5G is an attractive technology for rapid deployment in Colombia. In addition, the fact that many entities have expressed interest in frequencies above 24 GHz indicates that operators and other players in the mobile communications sector are aware of the potential of these bands due to a large amount of spectrum available, which could help the first 5G deployments in the country to match the eMBB scenario. Figure 9: Interest in using radio spectrum for 5G pilot tests per frequency band. Source: [64]. Subsequently, in April 2020, the MinICT issued Resolution 000638 [65] in line with the ITU recommendation in its document entitled \"Laying the Foundations for 5G: Opportunities and Challenges 2018\" [66], starting the process of granting temporary permits for the use of the radio spectrum for the exclusive purpose of conducting pilot tests in the range of 3.7 GHz to 23.6 GHz, 71 GHz to 76 GHz, and 81 GHz to 86 GHz. With these tests, different Colombian government agencies (MinICT, ANE, and CRC) and different operators aim to acquire a broader knowledge on aspects related to the efficient use of the frequencies considered in the study, as well as others related to the deployment of networks and the provision of 5G services. It is important to clarify that these spectrum use permits cannot be used for commercial activities and are valid for six months, extendable once for up to six additional months in accordance with the provisions of Resolution 467 of 2020 of the MinICT [67]. Finally, in July 2020, it granted permission for the use of radio spectrum for 5G trials to five telecommunications network and service providers (TNSPs) (see Table 5). Table 5 shows that four of the winning TNSPs received use permits in the 3500 MHz to 3600 MHz range and one in the 3300 MHz to 3400 MHz range, which are part of the set of frequencies favored for the introduction of 5G deployments in Colombia and the rest of the world. One of the most important advantages of these bands is the greater amount of bandwidth available. However, as explained above, being higher than other frequencies used in mobile telecommunications services (e.g., 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, 2100, and 2500 MHz) increases the problems of radio wave propagation and penetration into buildings, which makes it necessary to increase the power at the BSs or to deploy more of them to ensure coverage in each area. It is important to clarify that the provider Xiro Investment Group was also authorized to conduct tests in the 587 MHz to 592 MHz bands, which was not originally included in Resolution 000638 but was requested based on the regulations of Resolution 467 [35]. Figure 10: Use cases presented in the expression of interest for 5G pilots. Source: [64].