Colombia coverage

Name: Colombia coverage
Creator: Orbislo
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Quality tier B. Two networks, reliable 4G, 5G in places. Fine for everything except heavy tethering.

Mbps typical

Mbps when busy

networks available

Which network you get

Carrier	Role	5G
Claro	Primary, used by default	yes, non standalone
Movistar	Failover, used when the primary degrades	yes, non standalone

You do not choose between them. If the network you are on gets congested we move you to the other one automatically, in the middle of your trip, and tell you afterwards.

A single carrier provider cannot make this move.

About these figures

The speed figures on this page show the typical download speed and the speed when the network is busy, for the country as a whole and for its main cities.

What the Colombia numbers mean

Two numbers matter and only one of them is the one every seller quotes. The typical speed, 38 Mbps, tells you what a good moment looks like.

The tenth percentile, 9 Mbps, is the one that matters. It is the speed in the worst tenth of the day, when the cell above the station is full and everybody around you is on it too. A country with a high median and a low floor is a country that works beautifully right up until the moment you actually need it.

If the trip depends on video calls or tethering, plan around the busy figure rather than the typical one.

What happens in Colombia when the network is busy

Congestion is not a fault, it is a Tuesday evening. The question is what your eSIM can do about it, and for most travel eSIMs the answer is nothing: one wholesale agreement per country, one network, and no way out except buying a second eSIM from somebody else while standing in the street.

Here, Orbislo traffic runs over Claro and Movistar. When the network you are on degrades we move you to another one, mid trip, without you asking, and tell you afterwards rather than interrupting you at the time.

Questions about Colombia

Which network will I be on in Colombia?

Claro or Movistar. Orbislo moves you to whichever is performing better where you are standing, without asking you and without you noticing.

How fast is the data really?

Typical download speed is 38 Mbps, and 9 Mbps when the network is busy. The busy figure is the one to plan around: it is what you can expect when the cell is crowded.

Can I tether a laptop?

Yes, on every plan, at the same allowance as your phone data and at no extra cost. At 38 Mbps expect a tethered laptop in Colombia to be fine for email and documents and strained by video calls.

Do speeds vary within Colombia?

Yes. Speed depends on where you are, the time of day and how busy the network is. It is usually highest in the cities and along the main roads, and lower in the mountains and on the water.

What if I get no signal at all in Colombia?

Open the app and use your free rescue data: customers get at least 100 MB once a calendar month, loaded onto your line, and it works at a zero balance. It exists for exactly this moment, because needing data in order to buy data is not a situation anybody should be put in. If that cannot find a network either, message us from the app and we will sort it.

Will my phone work in Colombia?

If it supports eSIM and is not carrier locked, yes. We check your exact model before you pay and tell you plainly if it will not work, rather than taking the money and leaving you to find out on arrival.

Coverage nearby

Colombia plans from $0.56 South America regional plan Compare every country

How Colombia compares across South America

Regional typical speed: 33.5 Mbps
Upstream networks: 2, Claro, Movistar
5G: Yes, non standalone
Next fastest nearby: Uruguay, 48 Mbps
Next slowest nearby: Peru, 35 Mbps
Cities with their own page: 3: Bogota, Cartagena, Medellin

Nearby destinations in South America

Chile: Chile, 52 Mbps, 2 networks
Brazil: Brazil, 49 Mbps, 2 networks
Uruguay: Uruguay, 48 Mbps, 2 networks
Peru: Peru, 35 Mbps, 2 networks
Ecuador: Ecuador, 34 Mbps, 2 networks
Argentina: Argentina, 33 Mbps, 2 networks
French Guiana: French Guiana, 32.5 Mbps, 4 networks
Paraguay: Paraguay, 31 Mbps, 2 networks
Venezuela: Venezuela, 28.2 Mbps, 3 networks
Bolivia: Bolivia, 27 Mbps, 2 networks

Cities with their own page

Bogota: El Dorado International Airport, nearest airport BOG, 13 km from Bogota
Cartagena: Rafael Nuñez International Airport, nearest airport CTG, 5 km from Cartagena
Medellin: Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport, nearest airport EOH, 4 km from Medellin