Internet service in Colombia is at risk due to the financial crisis of mobile operators, warns Asomóvil.

Internet connectivity in Colombia, which currently reaches 79% of the population, is at risk of deteriorating and slowing its expansion due to a financial crisis facing mobile operators. This was warned in a joint letter addressed to various national authorities and industry associations such as Asomóvil, Andesco, Asotic, GSMA, and ASIET.

The letter, signed by representatives such as Samuel Hoyos Mejía (President of Asomóvil) and Maryleana Méndez (Secretary General of ASIET), points out that, despite the substantial investments made by telecommunications companies – more than " 55 trillion pesos (at 2025 prices) in maintaining, expanding and modernizing network infrastructure " in the last seven years –, the digital divide persists. It is estimated that exceeding the MinTIC goals and achieving 95% national coverage "will require around USD 4.5 billion additional."

The sector's financial outlook has deteriorated significantly. Average monthly revenue per user (ARPU) "has fallen by nearly 70% over the past decade," according to the Communications Regulatory Commission (CRC).

This decline is attributed to the need to keep prices low, while, paradoxically, data traffic continues to grow exponentially. Between 2022 and 2024, mobile traffic increased "by 1.57 times, with an annual growth rate of 25%."

A key point of concern is that "just three platforms generate 67% of total traffic," which is equivalent to downloading "more than 213 million HD movies in a single month."

The large digital platforms, despite being the main traffic generators, are not subject to local regulation and "do not pay for network use." Furthermore, they unilaterally define the conditions for hosting their content delivery infrastructure and the required quality.

The unions describe this situation as a "structural market failure that requires urgent regulatory correction." They agree with recent studies by the National University, JSM, and NERA (2024-2025) that Colombia needs to adopt fair and equitable regulations that require large traffic generators to assume a proportional share of network costs.

The case of South Korea is mentioned, which "recently implemented a system of commercial negotiations between operators and major traffic generators supervised by the regulator."

If this imbalance is not corrected, the signatories warn that "operators' financial capacity to sustain network investments will continue to decline," which would directly impact "millions of Colombian households that depend on connectivity to work, study, access healthcare services, and participate in democratic life."

Additionally, it will "slow down the deployment of networks in rural and remote areas, widening the digital divide" and compromising the country's digital development.

For all of the above reasons, the unions are making an "urgent call to the National Government, the Congress of the Republic, and the oversight and regulatory bodies" to establish clear and fair rules regarding the use of networks.

They emphasize that "regulating fair use of networks is not just an economic measure," but a "political and social decision that impacts the right to connectivity, territorial equity, democracy, and the digital future of all Colombians."

*Article developed with AI support