The Ministry of Communications assigned, through a public hearing, WiMax licenses to operate in 32 districts of the country. As it was revealed from the hearing, the companies selected commit themselves to make, during five years, the investments required by the regions, in infrastructure as well as in some coverage of districts and users.

The minister, Maria del Rosario Guerra, said that “we expect, that as from today, the new beneficiaries of permissions for wireless broadband offer services, will enable the country to be more communicated and to enlarge the new technologies in the whole national area".

Cable Unión de Occidente was the huge winner of the day after keeping the 17 licenses it required for the districts of Atlántico, Bolívar, Boyacá, Caldas, Cauca, César, Córdoba, Cundinamarca, Huila, Magdalena, Meta, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Quindío, Risaralda, Santander, Sucre and Valle del Cauca. On the other hand, Comcel got permission for 12 districts: Amazonas, Guaviare, Arauca, Guainía, Casqueta, Chocó, Nariño, Putumayo, San Andrés, Sucre, Vaupés and Vichada.

In the list there also appeared Avantel with five licenses, for Antioquia, Casanare, Huila, Meta, and Tolima; and Cablecentro and Comunicaciones Satelitales de Colombia which obtained similar result, with five districts each.

Among the rest of the operators, the award was similar. S3 Wireless Colombia achieved a license like Servisatélite and Teleorinoquia; and Emcali kept two.

“What we are looking for is, at least, to quadruple Internet coverage in the next four years, not only through these wireless access awards but also through the business plans the operators have through copper lines”, added Guerra, at the end of the hearing.