en.Wedoany.com Reported - Colombia's Communications Regulatory Commission (Comisión de Regulación de Comunicaciones, CRC) has approved, through Resolution No. 8254 (2026), a new regulatory framework for the wholesale market of Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) local access, aiming to open up infrastructure to more providers, enhance network transparency, and reduce barriers that limit competition in fixed internet services.
The new regulations impose obligations on providers that own, control, or manage fiber optic wholesale networks and adjust the access and interconnection regime for related infrastructure. The Commission found that the expansion of the FTTH local access wholesale model has led to differing interpretations among industry players regarding the application of existing regulations. Key issues include the emergence of new business models based on neutral networks, limited availability of information on such networks, and inconsistent application of access, use, and interconnection regimes. The Commission also deemed it necessary to review the potential competitive impact of Colombia Telecomunicaciones (Movistar)'s participation in the ONNET Fibra wholesale fiber business, following the integration of Movistar and Tigo.
Based on its analysis, the CRC included relevant projects in its regulatory agenda to define the framework applicable to local wholesale connection services, with a focus on ensuring open, fair, and non-discriminatory access. One of the main regulatory changes is the establishment of new information reporting obligations for FTTH wholesale operators. The Commission introduced Table T.3.6, requiring providers to report the number of homes or real estate units covered by their network, homes actually connected through third-party operators, the characteristics of the network type used, and the tariffs and commercial conditions related to wholesale access. Operators must also provide geographic information on their networks, including coverage maps, locations of infrastructure elements, and availability to support new connections, processed under anonymization and aggregation standards to avoid affecting commercial competition.
The regulatory body believes that this transparency will help improve market oversight and facilitate investment, expansion, and contracting decisions among operators. The regulations also recognize the growth of neutral networks, a model that separates infrastructure construction from end-user service provision, which can accelerate connection expansion. The Commission classifies networks as neutral networks—infrastructure offered to multiple providers under equal conditions without vertical integration—and shared networks, which are infrastructure jointly used by one or more operators that also provide retail services.
In wholesale relationships, for FTTH wholesale services, the general rule on temporary disconnection due to non-transfer of net balances does not apply. When an operator requesting access fails to fulfill payment obligations without just cause, the wholesale provider may suspend new service orders or temporarily disconnect the wholesale service after prior notification to the relevant regulatory authority. The new obligations will be implemented gradually, with the first changes related to information reporting and the new regulatory chapter on FTTH wholesale networks taking effect on October 1 of this year.
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