From April 24-28, 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce, together with U.S. Embassy Bogota, led a five-day 5G and connectivity study trip to Washington, D.C. and New York City for eight officials from Colombia’s IT ministry, communications regulator, spectrum agency, congress, and private sector.
In Washington, the delegation met with some of the leading security and connectivity officials in telecommunications and technology, including the Bureau of Cybersecurity and Digital Policy (State), Satellite Industry Association, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Communications Commission, National Telecommunications and Information Association, Open RAN Policy Coalition, Viavi Solutions, and the Export-Import Bank. In New York, the delegation met with AT&T, Verizon, Amazon, Facebook, and Cisco.
The topics discussed during the week included 5G security, radioelectric spectrum management, 5G use cases and lessons learned on rollout, Open RAN, connectivity project financing, broadband mapping, and closing the digital divide through addressing issues such as internet availability, affordability, and skills gaps. The U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Embassy Bogota look forward to continuing engagement on these issues as part of its ongoing commitment to the government of Colombia.
The study trip was supported through the Digital Connectivity and Cybersecurity Partnership and served to strengthen coordination between the United States and Colombia on internet connectivity, 5G, and securing critical technology infrastructure.