Colombia announces winners in 'historic' 5G data services auction

FILE PHOTO: Flags flutter on the facade of the Colombian Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies building in Bogota, Colombia, November 8, 2023. REUTERS/Luis Jaime Acosta/File photo

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia picked four telecommunications firms as winners of a fifth-generation (5G) data services auction on Wednesday in a bid to attract investment and join regional peers like Argentina and Mexico, where 5G is already available.

Claro, Telecall Colombia S.A.S., WOM and Union Temporal Colombia Movil-Telefonica, a partnership between the operators of Movistar and Tigo, won concessions up for grabs in the auction, the communications ministry said in a statement.