Colombia 450 MHz Spectrum: ANE Opens Public Consultation

Colombia 450 MHz Spectrum Under Review: ANE Opens Public Consultation on the 440–470 MHz Band

Colombia's spectrum regulator has opened a public consultation that could reshape one of the country's busiest narrowband ranges. On 11 August 2026, the Agencia Nacional del Espectro (ANE) published the problem formulation document for its "Spectrum planning study in the 440 to 470 MHz band (450 MHz)" and invited stakeholders to comment. Originally due to close on 25 August 2026, the comment window has since been extended to 1 September 2026.

For manufacturers and importers, the important framing point is this: the document under consultation is a diagnostic paper, not a draft rule. It sits at the earliest stage of ANE's Regulatory Impact Analysis (Análisis de Impacto Normativo, AIN) the "problem tree" phase, where the regulator defines the problem and gathers evidence before it evaluates any solution. Nothing about how equipment is authorised or how spectrum is assigned in the band changes today. What is on the table is the direction of a possible future reorganisation of the band.

What the Colombia 450 MHz spectrum consultation actually is

The consultation is the opening move of a planning study carried out under ANE's Regulatory Agenda 2026–2027, itself part of the Spectrum Management Master Plan (PMGE) 2026–2030. The band in question, 440–470 MHz, is commonly referred to as the 450 MHz band and sits in the UHF range prized for wide area coverage and good in-building penetration with relatively little infrastructure.

ANE's document does four things: it characterises how the band is used today, reviews international practice, sets out the technical coexistence issues, and defines a central problem with its causes and consequences. The regulator's diagnosis is that the effective availability of channels is materially lower than the administrative record suggests, because protection distances needed to avoid interference especially for narrowband analogue land mobile radio (LMR) restrict the reuse of frequencies that look "free" on paper. ANE frames three causes: technical protection and reuse constraints that shrink effective availability; a band organisation that is misaligned with current and potential demand; and historical assignment patterns that reduce the flexibility to reorganise.

The consultation has two components: (1) comments on the problem statement, its causes, consequences and stakeholder map; and (2) a structured questionnaire collecting technical, economic, operational, regulatory and demand information to feed the later stages of the analysis. ANE has invited a broad group current and potential band users, public entities, operators, productive sectors, equipment suppliers, industry associations, academia and the general public.

How the band is used today

The predominant, incumbent use of 440–470 MHz in Colombia is land mobile radio (LMR) for operational voice analogue FM plus digital standards such as DMR, TETRA and P25 running on narrow 12.5 kHz and 25 kHz channels (and 6.25 kHz for some digital modes). ANE's caseload data shows a stable, heavily used band: roughly 384 active files and about 1,074 active networks in 2026, with holders concentrated in private security and surveillance (about 50.5% of unique holders), followed by commerce and other services, transport and logistics, utilities, and telecom/media. Permit expiries cluster in 2030–2035 (around 55% of permits, and roughly 80% expiring by 2035), which is when any orderly reorganisation would most plausibly take effect.

The band is attributed on a primary basis to the Fixed and Mobile services (ITU Region 2), with satellite and other services in specific segments. Internationally, ITU footnote 5.286AA identifies 450–470 MHz for IMT, and Colombia's national table already reserves 452.5–457.5 MHz / 462.5–467.5 MHz for future IMT (LTE Band 31). Crucially, ANE stresses that this IMT identification does not imply priority over incumbents, automatic band clearing, or mandatory migration of existing users. IMT (LTE/NB-IoT in Bands 31/72/73, supported by the 450 MHz Alliance ecosystem) is treated as one potential alternative to be studied, not a predetermined outcome.

What this means for manufacturers

The headline for anyone placing radio equipment on the Colombian market is that no obligation has changed. This ANE study is a spectrum planning instrument, not a type approval instrument. Colombia's equipment homologation regime the process that governs whether a device can legally be sold and connected is administered separately and is untouched by this consultation. There is no new test, no new certificate, and no new marking requirement arising from this document.

What is worth acting on is the signal. ANE has put on record that the current band plan may not serve present and future needs, and it is explicitly weighing alternatives that range from tighter LMR channel management to introducing IMT/broadband. Depending on where that lands, a future re-plan could touch the things manufacturers care about: permitted channel bandwidths, guard bands, emission masks, duplex arrangements, and which technologies (narrowband LMR vs. LTE/NB-IoT) are favoured in specific sub-bands. Vendors of DMR/TETRA/P25 portables and repeaters, and vendors of 450 MHz LTE-M/NB-IoT modules, routers and meters, both have a direct interest in the outcome.

Two practical implications follow. First, this is a low cost moment to influence a high impact decision: ANE is actively asking equipment suppliers for demand and technical input, and the comment window is open until 1 September 2026. Second, manufacturers with 450 MHz portfolios should map their product lines against ANE's sub-band structure now, so they can speak to feasibility, coexistence and installed base continuity if and when concrete alternatives are floated.

Certification impact summary

Area	Position today	Potential impact if a future re-plan proceeds
Device homologation / type approval	Unchanged; governed by Colombia's separate homologation regime	No direct change from this study; a later band re-plan could alter permitted channel/emission conditions relevant to homologated models
Spectrum use permits (LMR)	ANE/MinTIC permits continue as normal; ~384 active files	Possible reorganisation of sub-bands, reuse rules and assignment criteria in the medium term
Channel bandwidths	12.5 / 25 kHz (6.25 kHz for some digital)	Efficiency-driven changes possible if the band is re-optimised
IMT (LTE Bands 31/72/73)	452.5–457.5 / 462.5–467.5 MHz reserved for future IMT; not deployed	Study may or may not recommend enabling IMT/broadband sharing
Immediate manufacturer obligations	None arising from this consultation	None until a draft regulation is issued after the RIA stages

Timeline and required actions

Date	Milestone	Recommended action for manufacturers
11 Aug 2026	ANE opens consultation on the AIN problem-formulation document	Review the AIN document and map affected product lines
25 Aug 2026	Original comment deadline (superseded)	—
1 Sept 2026	Extended comment deadline (email + questionnaire)	Submit comments and complete ANE's questionnaire before this date
Q4 2026 onward	Later RIA stages: definition and evaluation of alternatives	Monitor for a draft band re-plan; prepare technical/coexistence input
2030–2035	Concentration of current permit expiries	Factor into installed-base and migration planning