Tigo Colombia, which is owned by European mobile group Millicom International Cellular (MIC), has unveiled a new machine-to-machine (M2M) service aimed at the corporate segment. Local website Enter.co quotes MIC’s international M2M manager Mauricio Coronel as saying: ‘Colombia is the first country in the region where this service has been introduced. M2M will soon be implemented at the rest of our mobile operations in Latin America: Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Bolivia and Paraguay.’
Colombia’s Ministry of Information Technology and Communication (MinTIC) and National Spectrum Agency (ANE) have extended their consultation into the distribution of spectrum in the 900MHz and 1900MHz bands until 7 November. The authorities have proposed that operators which manage to secure spectrum in the tender must offer preferred national roaming rates and share infrastructure, among other conditions. In addition, as part of the licence conditions, 1900MHz spectrum winners must extend services to 40 inaccessible locations, while 900MHz licensees must offer connectivity in 50 unserved areas.
MinTIC has published a public tender for Phase II of its ‘Digital Connections Project’, which will see broadband services extended to 52,599 public institutions and ‘Viviendas de Interes Prioritario’ (priority interest housing developments) in ‘estratos’ (strata) 1 and 2. Colombia operates a system whereby areas are designated a strata between 1 and 6 depending on the socio-economic status of the area: ‘1’ areas are the poorest, most run-down areas, whilst ‘6’ are the wealthiest. The new project spans eight departments.