Colombia's ICT ministry launches call to expand internet connectivity

Colombia's ICT ministry (Mintic) launched a call for the Líneas de Fomento 2.0 project, which will bring broadband internet to 84,050 low-income households in urban, rural and isolated areas.

Worth 42.7 billion pesos (US$10.5 million), the call will be open until July 19 for local internet service providers that have less than 30,000 users.

The project will benefit 292 municipalities in 21 departments

"This project will allow us not only to reach the most remote communities, who are affected by the digital divide that still persists in the country, but also to continue strengthening smaller telecommunications network and service providers," said ICT minister Mauricio Lizcano.

The call's documents can be accessed via this link

In March, Mintic launched another call worth 29bn pesos to bring internet to 1,417 households in the departments of Antioquia, Bolívar, Boyacá, Córdoba, Cundinamarca, Huila, Cesar, Norte de Santander, Santander and Tolima. This call received 19 proposals.

SUSPENDED TENDER

Last week, the ministry suspended a tender for a connectivity project worth 408bn pesos that would benefit 3,082 public educational institutions.

The suspension came after the attorney general's office warned that one of the technical requirement addenda regarding Wi-Fi access points changed the meaning of some of the bidding specifications.

Telefónica, Claro, Sencinet and Axess were among several companies that had submitted bids.