CRC proposes modernizing broadband standards in Colombia

This press release was published in English using an automatic translation system

By Comisión de Regulación de Comunicaciones  

The Communications Regulation Commission (CRC) published for comment a regulatory proposal that seeks to update the current definition of broadband in the country, established in 2017, when minimum speeds of 25 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload were set.

With this new proposal, the CRC is putting forward a gradual update that would move the country toward speeds of up to 300 Mbps download and 150 Mbps upload for services marketed as broadband, bringing them into line with the standards of OECD countries, while ultra-broadband would come to be defined starting at speeds of 1 Gbps download and 500 Mbps upload, in line with international trends.

The proposal contemplates a differentiated implementation according to the connectivity conditions of the municipalities. Thus, the cities and municipalities with higher levels of development and infrastructure deployment would adopt the new broadband standards from 2026, while the municipalities facing greater connectivity challenges would advance gradually until reaching those speeds in 2030.

The update responds to the technological evolution of the service and to the new dynamics of Internet use in the country. Today, a single connection simultaneously supports video calls, entertainment platforms, virtual education, video games, artificial intelligence, and multiple devices connected at the same time, which demands services with greater capacity and better performance.

For users, this means that a service marketed as broadband must offer conditions in line with the way the Internet is used today: higher speeds to download and share content, better performance when several people connect at the same time in the same household, and greater transparency when comparing and choosing a plan, since the “broadband” label will reflect a higher standard of quality and connection capacity.

The proposal also incorporates recent recommendations from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which call for connectivity policies to focus on service quality and on reducing territorial gaps, so that Colombia can continue making progress in closing the digital divide.

“Updating the definition of broadband is a way to keep pace with the technological evolution of the service and respond to users’ new connectivity needs. The impact analyses carried out by the CRC showed that the update implemented in 2017 contributed to the growth of Internet speeds and the increase in broadband connections in the country. This shows that, when the regulator sets a clear benchmark for the expected service conditions, incentives are created for operators to improve their offerings, continue investing in higher-capacity networks, and strengthen service quality for users“. Explained Felipe Díaz Suaza, Commissioner and Executive Director of the CRC. 

The CRC invites the sector and all interested stakeholder groups to participate in this regulatory project and submit their contributions and comments until June 5, 2026 via email: internetfijo2026@crcom.gov.co. 

• Consult the regulatory proposal and the supporting document