Colombia. The Communications Regulation Commission, CRC, made the modification to the Regulation of Internal Telecommunications Networks, RITEL, modifications that were made focused on four axes.
This is the result of the joint work of the entity with the construction sector, providers of telecommunications networks and services and government entities such as the Ministry of Housing, City and Territory, the National Planning Department and the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce.
The RITEL review focused on four main axes:
1. Definition of the actors responsible for deploying the infrastructure of the support network and the telecommunications network within the buildings to minimize the impact on the user.
2. Definition of technical conditions that imply the lowest cost and allow to have sufficient infrastructure so that a user has the possibility to choose, without any restriction, the operator with which he wishes to contract his fixed services.
3. Identification of the actors responsible for the maintenance of the support infrastructure and the telecommunications network, in such a way that, in case of damage, the shortest time of unavailability of the services to the user is presented.
4. Definition of a transitional regime for the application of RITEL, so that ongoing horizontally owned housing construction projects are not affected.
The update of the regulation is good news to boost access to fixed telephone, internet and television services in Colombian homes. As of July 1, 2019, all new designs of single-family and multi-family housing projects, subject to the horizontal property regime, will have sufficient infrastructure for users to exercise their right to free choice and contract fixed services with the operator that offers them greater benefits at the lowest price, without having to limit yourself to the first service provider that arrives at your building.
The project arises given the need to promote access to fixed broadband internet service as a tool for economic development, given that in Colombia this service does not exceed 13% adoption, while in developed countries it is 31%. This decision seeks to boost the penetration of fixed broadband services in the country and facilitate the deployment of fiber optic networks to Colombian homes.
"Our purpose is to ensure that every day more homes in the country have the necessary infrastructure for their inhabitants to contract the service with the operator that offers them a better value for money," explained Germán Darío Arias, Executive Director of the CRC.
To know the modifications of the Regulation of Internal Telecommunications Networks, RITEL, click here.
