Oviedo discussed four areas of research:

• Digital services in national (telephony) accounts,
• ICT usage in households,
• ICT usage in companies,
• The effect of the COVID pandemic on enterprise ICT utilization.

According to the report, telecommunications-related activities grew by 0.5% during 2020, while in 2019 that increase was 5.3%. As for IT services, 2020 saw a 2.4% contraction of activities, compared to an increase of 8.5% reported in 2019.

Among other important findings, during the pandemic, several sectors saw growth:

• Mobile telephony services (8%)
• Internet connectivity (5%), and
• Other telecommunications services (5.5%).

56.5% of Colombian households have internet connection. However, there is a vast difference between urban connectivity where 66.5% of homes are online, and rural connectivity, which only reaches 23.8%. The Colombian departments with the best internet access are Bolívar, Valle, Bogotá, Risaralda, and Santander. The areas with the most deficient access are Chocó, Vichada, and Vaupés.

“We can say that Colombia in terms of internet connectivity seems to be made up of only 14 departments. But this also shows us, without a doubt, the great gap that exists between the urban and rural areas of Colombia,” Oviedo said.

After a brief count related to the proportion of households that have an internet connection nationwide, the DANE   voter explained the reasons why a significant percentage of users do not have connectivity.

“Among the main reasons highlighted by the rural population for not having internet is that there is no coverage in the area, followed by the high cost. For their part, citizens affirmed that the main reason for not having internet is that the service is very expensive,” explained Oviedo

To learn more about ANDICOM, visit https://andicom.co

ProColombia announced new investments from 21 countries totalling $1.477 billion USD generating 17,000 new jobs.

“Business continues, that has been the slogan of our operation that has migrated to virtual environments to continue advising potential investors and businessmen in the world and who today have materialized that interest in Colombia. We are announcing the arrival of 45 new projects in the country managed by ProColombia in the first four months of the year, and which, according to the businessmen, they estimate to generate 17,000 new jobs, with contributions in technology, technology transfer and development in the different regions where they have been established,” said Flavia Santoro, president of ProColombia.

18% of the projects went to the BPO and shared service center segments, 11% to the development of renewable energies, 8% to initiatives in the pharmaceutical sector, 6% to software and IT, 10% to metalworking, 3 % to agribusiness, 5% to investment funds, 16% to retail, and 23% to other sectors.

Of the total projects, 20% correspond to greenfield investments or companies that had no previous presence in Colombia, and 80% to new investments by multinational companies established in the country.

Between January and April 2019, ProColombia promoted the arrival of 45 foreign investment initiatives, so the result of the current year also of 45 projects, shows that, by avoiding the difficulties associated with the presence of the coronavirus, the implementation of new strategies With virtual tools such as seminars, webinars and Shark Tank-type formats, called ProColombia Pitch Sessions, they have worked successfully in order to maintain the promotion of investment attraction in the country.

According to Santoro, the projects are landing in the following Colombian departments:

• 22 Bogotá
• 6 Antioquia
• 1 Bolívar
• 1 Tolima
• 3 Valle
• 3 Atlántico
• 6 Cundinamarca
• 1 Risaralda
• 2 Magdalena

The initiatives come from 21 countries including:

• 10 United States
• 2 Germany
• 2 Argentina
• 3 China
• 4 Spain
• 4 United Kingdom
• 1 Ireland
• 1 Costa Rica
• 1 Panama
• 4 Australia
• 1 Singapore
• 1 India
• 1 Israel
• 1 Guatemala
• 1 South Korea
• 1 Canada
• 2 Venezuela
• 1 Chile
• 1 Thailand
• 1 Japan
• 1 Mexico

These include an investment by the US conglomerate Glenfarne Group in a power generation project worth US $420 million in the Colombian Caribbean while two other investors in the renewable energy sector made announcements worth US $100 million, and Peruvian company Camposol expanded its investments worth more than US $150 million for the production of Hass avocados.

Argentine concern the Pegasus Group, with projects in the hospitality and cosmetics industries, will invest in an elderly care facility with a US $20 million investment.

The British fund John Laing invested in the acquisition of 30% of the Ruta de Cacao (Cocoa Route) 4G highway concession in Santander.

The academic track of the event was attended by more than 500 international investors, doubling the previous edition.

“These figures show the interest international companies have in the business opportunities Colombia has to offer. The doubling of the number of investors, when compared to the 2018 version, ratifies our country as one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world,” said Flavia Santoro, President of ProColombia.

14 regional investment promotion agencies from Antioquia, Boyacá, Quindío, Bogotá, Bolívar, Huila, Caldas, Nariño, Orinoquía, Córdoba, Atlántico, Magdalena, Risaralda, Valle also participated, along with 12 free trade zones and logistics projects.

“Colombia is taking steps in the right direction, working to attract investments that have an impact and benefit its people, with greater technology and supporting entrepreneurship. Colombia is a developing country; there is a lot to be done, a lot of talent, and this is the right time to invest,” said Frédéric Cuq, representative of the French company Thales Group.

Cao Yijing, executive of the Chinese CCCC Shanghai Dredging Company, stated that, compared to other countries, “Colombia has the right conditions in place for investment: legal certainty, economic growth, and stability. This is a good time to begin operations in Latin America, and the right place is a country like Colombia.”

Photo credit: ProColombia

The Cali location and proximity to the both the Ecuador border and the Pacific port city of Buenaventura makes it a distribution point for international markets. Due to the dynamism that has persisted in the “sultana del Valle”, in previous years there has been an increase the search for facilities that are more efficient, comfortable and accessible.

According to a study by Colliers International in the report titled “Office markets in Cali  Colombia”, enterprises dedicated to co-working, BPO, technology and public sector are the ones that are responsible for the increase in demand for offices and square footage.

Under these circumstances, the ZFB group has developed ZF Towers Versalles, designed specifically to attract BPO tenants. Built in 2017, Versalles is a viable option for many service-oriented enterprises due to its operational efficiency. The building claims savings of up to to 17% in energy due to its evaporated air HVAC system, LED lighting, regulated energy and power supply plans over total of 350 kilowatts, and 0% Capex to initiate operation in it. The operating costs are already included in the monthly rent fee.  The building offers has noise cancelling, UV filtered windows, and 350kW of filtered electrical supply.

The building comes with zoning permission for commerce and services with 5275 sqm built and an available area of 4422 square meters, 4 floors and one basement, with maximum capacity for 700 workstations..

In addition to BPO and contact center tenants, the building is also suitable for providers of basic medical services, travel agencies, marketing agencies, law firms, software development, IT services integrators, academic centers, corporate offices, administrative headquarters, among others.