Colombia has awarded bandwidth to three bidders during the latest spectrum auction that raised 5 trillion pesos or $1.5 billion.
Claro, a subsidiary of America Movil, Tigo Millicom and Novator Partners from Britain were the winners of the bandwidth during the spectrum auction. Movistar, a subsidiary of Telefonica of Spain, did not bag any spectrum.

“This is the largest mobile social connectivity project in the history of Colombia that will allow, for the first time, to bring internet to millions of Colombians in rural areas,” President Ivan Duque said on Twitter.

Claro dominates Colombia’s mobile market, followed by Movistar, Tigo, Avantel and ETB, Reuters reported.

The Ministry of Information Technology and Communications said on Friday that Claro was awarded 20 megahertz (MHz) in the 700 MHz band and 30 MHz in the 2,500 MHz band.

Tigo won 40 MHz in the 700 MHz band and Novator Partners secured 20 MHz in the 700 Mhz band and 30 MHz in the 2,500 MHz band.

No offers were submitted for the 1,900 MHz band and in the 700 MHz band 10 MHz were left over. All of the 2,500 MHz band on offer was taken.

The 700 megahertz band covers Colombia’s least developed and most rural regions, while the higher megahertz bands are useful for service providers seeking market share in urban areas, where their range helps ensure service amid higher user density.