“This will be the largest academic agenda we’ve had in our history,” Díaz said, noting that ANDICOM 2026 is spread across two venues for the first time, the Las Américas complex and the Hotel Faranda Collection. CINTEL, the Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Tecnologías de la Información y las Comunicaciones (Center for Research and Development in Information and Communications Technologies), runs technology-adoption projects with Colombian government bodies including the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology alongside private-sector clients.

This year’s theme, “Unleashing the Power of AI,” organizes the program around four pillars: artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and digital trust, connectivity and digital infrastructure, and public policy and regulation. Manuel Martínez Niño, CINTEL’s executive director, told El Universal that the congress has become the most important gathering of its kind not only in Colombia but in Latin America, bringing together authorities, government, business, academia, multilateral banks and legislators to work on the country’s digital inclusion.

The congress opened September 1 with the ANDICOM Knowledge Hub at the Faranda Collection, running two parallel sessions Díaz called central to the week: one on the transition to post-quantum cryptography, ahead of what Díaz said industry estimates place around 2029 as the point when quantum computers could break current encryption standards, and another on AI governance and the oversight of autonomous agents.

The European Union is this year’s guest of honor, sending a diplomatic and commercial delegation for sessions on the bloc’s approach to AI regulation, cybersecurity and quantum computing. European companies account for 22% of foreign direct investment in Colombia’s technology sector and have created more than 120,000 jobs in the country, according to figures CINTEL presented for the congress and reported by Cartagena al Día.

Wednesday’s opening ceremony was expected to include Colombia’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Alexandra Falla Zerrate, along with European Union representatives outlining the new government’s technology road map. The day’s keynote speakers included Pilar Manchón, senior director of research strategy at Google AI (NASDAQ: GOOGL), who has described artificial intelligence as “the most profound and transformative technology humanity has ever developed,” and Marc Reguera, worldwide general manager for Microsoft Fabric (NASDAQ: MSFT) customer engagement, on the next generation of intelligent business applications. A separate afternoon panel brought together Julissa Cruz, director of sustainable digital infrastructure at CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean; Alexia González Fanfalone, head of the connectivity services and infrastructures unit at the OECD; Carlos Lugo Silva of the International Telecommunication Union; and a public-policy representative from Amazon Web Services to compare regulatory experiences across countries. In parallel at the Faranda Collection, a forum on financing digital infrastructure and connectivity brought in the European Investment Bank, the World Bank and Colombia’s Financiera de Desarrollo Nacional.

Thursday’s agenda centered on a regulatory panel gathering officials from across the region: Gonzalo Balseiro, president of Uruguay’s Unidad Reguladora de Servicios de Comunicaciones (Communications Services Regulatory Unit); Sergio Sotomayor Rodríguez, director of Colombia’s National Spectrum Agency; Felipe Augusto Díaz Suaza, executive director of the Comisión de Regulación de Comunicaciones (Communications Regulation Commission); and Lucas Gallitto, head of Latin America and the Caribbean for the GSMA. The day also featured a panel of telecommunications-company executives from WOM, Claro, Tigo and LinkMax discussing the sector’s challenges and opportunities.

Friday’s keynote speakers included Eric Martorell Bouvier of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE), on digital sovereignty and data infrastructure. Díaz said the closing keynote was expected to include President Abelardo de la Espriella, who was set to address technology and AI as drivers of the country’s economic and social development.

Díaz pointed to a Wednesday afternoon session on AI in the creative industries, covering the technology’s use in music and film production, as one he was personally looking forward to. The congress’s commercial exhibition includes more than 215 companies, and its mobile app lets attendees flag sessions and schedule meetings, a feature Díaz said has become central to the networking Loren Moss described as one of ANDICOM’s main draws.

Esteban Iriarte, CEO of Tigo, commented: “Tigo is delighted to support the We Care campaign in Colombia and make a difference on important socio-economic issues such as mobile network roll-out, electronic waste, handset theft and disaster response. We look forward to playing our part in protecting and supporting all mobile users while continuing to introduce new and exciting mobile innovations to this country.”

The GSMA’s We Care campaign initiatives in Colombia focus on the following key areas:

Developing Mobile Infrastructure

To support the Government of Colombia’s efforts to further expand the roll-out of mobile networks included in its Vive Digital Plan, national mobile operators today signed an official agreement with MinTIC to work together to:

• Launch a major public awareness campaign to highlight the importance of network deployment in Colombia and the need for expanded mobile connectivity to services in areas such as education, health, transport and business; and
• Establish forums among national and local authorities targeting local community leaders to explain how digital connectivity works and the need to meet public health parameters established by Colombian law and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) guidelines and share the results of ongoing monitoring of mobile antennas by the National Spectrum Agency (ANE) with these forums.

Protecting the Environment

Electronic waste is a growing issue throughout the world and will increase by 17.5% per cent in Latin America and 19.1% in Colombia between 2012 and 2015. The GSMA today released a new study with the latest national data on efforts to recycle mobile phones, batteries and accessories by the mobile industry. This work will support strategies for the government’s Green Agenda for Recycling in Colombia.

“With 26 million unique mobile subscribers and 51 million mobile connections, Colombia is one of the fastest growing mobile markets in Latin America,” said Tom Phillips, Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA. “We are delighted to see the private sector working together to support the Government of Colombia and provide collaborative solutions for a better, safer and more sustainable mobile experience for all Colombian citizens.”

National mobile operators today committed to support e-waste initiatives from the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development and MinTIC by launching a public awareness campaign through traditional and digital media platforms, encouraging citizens to support the separation and collection of e-waste.

Tackling Handset Theft

Mobile handset theft has surged in Colombia over the last few years with more than one million devices stolen last year – but crucially only 45,783 were reported to the police. The Colombian Government has introduced a series of initiatives to discourage the purchase and activation of stolen mobile phones, dismantle criminal operations behind handset theft and encourage citizens to file complaints for lost or stolen mobile devices.

The local mobile operators today signed an agreement with the National Police of Colombia to work together to combat handset theft by sharing technical, administrative, operational, financial and human resources. The agreement includes their intention to deploy the GSMA’s International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) Device Check system through which Colombian mobile users will be able to check in real time if a handset is included in the global list of stolen mobile phones. The GSMA IMEI blacklist database is updated on a daily basis via reports from over 120 operators around the world, including 38 operators from 15 countries in Latin America.

Diego Molano Vega, Minister of Information and Communications Technologies for Colombia, commented: “It is essential to take advantage of mobile technology to help improve the lives of Colombians. We are delighted to form this partnership with the GSMA and mobile operators in Colombia to work together to tackle electronic waste management, handset theft, infrastructure deployment and disaster response.”

Improving Disaster Response

Colombia has geographical characteristics that put it at high risk for natural disasters.

National mobile operators have committed to help meet the objectives of the National System for Emergency Telecommunications (SNTE) established by MinTIC in its Vive Digital Plan to ensure the continued provision of communication services during critical events.

Colombia’s operators have agreed to participate in a working group led by MinTIC and the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) to undertake a number of measures including:

• Locating users contacting emergency phone line 123 through geolocation systems;
• Activate early SMS alerts to inform and warn the public about natural disasters before they occur; and

Prioritize voice traffic over mobile networks for users of UNGRD.

Above pictured, from left to right: Gabriel Vallejo, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Diego Molano Vega, Minister of Information and Communications Technologies, Nancy Patricia Gutiérrez, President Asomovil, Sergio González Guzmán, CEO Asomovil, Sebastian Cabello, Head of GSMA Latin America GSMA, Ariel Ponton, CEO Movistar, Santiago Pardo, VP Regulation for Claro, Marcelo Cataldo, VP Unidad Movil, Tigo – Photo courtesy GSMA