Choco had waited a long time for a solid digital link, and then, right before the year closed, Quibdo got one. A new fiber route started carrying real traffic, and 5G service also went live in key towns.
For many residents, this was less about flashy speed tests and more about daily life, stable video calls, online classes that do not freeze, and small businesses that can charge a card without praying.
A fiber line into the rainforest
Claro connected Quibdo to its national fiber optic network with an investment of more than US$10 million.
The build included 327 km of fiber in nine segments that start in Antioquia, pass through Quibdo, and end in Yuto, and it supported stronger mobile service in the capital and 15 other municipalities.
The project targeted a more stable Internet experience and higher data capacity for more than 375,000 people, with knock-on effects for health, education, tourism, commerce, and public services.
The operator already served more than 40 million users and had presence in 1,104 municipalities, so the new Choco route plugged into a national network instead of staying a local pilot. That scale can help with monitoring, redundancy, and faster repairs.
5G arrives, and 4G got steadier
Alongside the fiber route, Quibdo and Istmina joined the operator’s list of 44 Colombian cities with 5G coverage.
In Quibdo, 16% of mobile traffic already runs on 5G, which helps reduce pressure on 4G during busy hours and gives room for heavier uses such as video, cloud tools, and remote work.
The fiber backbone also strengthened the mobile network. Claro reported 100% 4G coverage in Choco’s municipal seats, now supported by fiber capacity feeding antennas across the department.
For users, “better 4G” could matter as much as 5G. In many neighborhoods, the win looked like fewer drops, faster load times, and fewer moments where the phone showed bars but nothing loaded.
Free WiFi and who got online first
The project also added 46 free WiFi zones in communities along the fiber route, which mattered because not everyone could pay for home Internet, even if the backbone passed nearby.
Public Wi-Fi could help students download assignments, job seekers apply online, and families access basic services. It also reduced the cost of staying connected for people who relied on prepaid data.
Still, free hotspots were only a starting point. Long-term inclusion depended on affordable plans, devices, and digital skills, so connectivity turned into income, learning, and better access to health services.
If local institutions took advantage of the new link, services such as telemedicine, online training, and digital paperwork could become normal, instead of a privilege limited to a few offices with a good signal.
The messy reality of building connectivity
Building fiber in Choco was not like laying cable beside a highway. The route crossed remote communities, required negotiations for easements, and field teams faced security risks and extortion attempts.
That context explained why the department depended for years on fragile links. The new network reduced reliance on the older TV Azteca connection, known locally for long outages and instability.
Even with this step, the map was not fully solved. Reaching the Pacific tourism zone, including Nuqui and Bahia Solano, remained a challenge, and possible routes were still under review.
That last stretch mattered for eco-tourism too, because visitors now expected digital payments, online bookings, and reliable messaging. A great beach felt less “remote paradise” when nobody could confirm a reservation.
What happens next
After the launch, the key work became maintenance, last-mile upgrades, and making sure schools, clinics, and local businesses could connect at prices people could pay.
If Quibdo’s new fiber and 5G coverage kept expanding steadily, Choco could move from “almost connected” to reliably online, which was the moment when tech stopped being news and started being normal, more about daily life, stable video calls, online classes that do not freeze, and small businesses that can charge a card without praying.