2023-06-23 11:42:57
WOM and the Francisco José de Caldas District University developed the first 5G digital education pilot in Colombia. (WOM)
The telecommunications company WOM began testing the 5G network in Colombia in collaboration with the Francisco José de Caldas District University, in the field of digital education.
During the pilot, Infobae witnessed a class in real time on “Generation of conventional and sustainable energies”, in which students and professors from the engineering faculty participated.
The experience took place in two separate classrooms while the teacher was recorded with a 360° camera, allowing students to immerse themselves in the lesson through virtual reality glasses.
During testing, download speeds of up to 1.9 Gbps and upload speeds of up to 250 Mbps were achieved on the 3.5 GHz band. This means devices connect faster and experience real-time applications like cloud gaming, virtual reality and telemedicine, improves significantly.
WOM and the Francisco José de Caldas District University developed the first 5G digital education pilot in Colombia. (WOM)
The 5G test pilot was made possible by the allocation of two blocks of spectrum. These made it possible to show the potential of technology and find ways to improve the connection in the country. In addition, it allows students to access immersive and real-time learning experiences.
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Virtual reality glasses are devices that allow you to view 3D images and videos that give you the feeling of being truly present in that environment. The screens inside display the images and are equipped with sensors to detect head movement, allowing the student to explore and interact with the virtual world in a more realistic way.
Infobae had an exclusive interview with Gonzalo Veas, Vice President of Technology at WOM, who highlighted the challenges faced in the implementation of 5G in Colombia, such as the cost of the spectrum and the difficulty in carrying out new installations in the municipalities.
“The willingness of the Government is crucial for the start of this project. It is important to achieve a long-term agreement, since the interventions are measured in periods of four or five years. It is necessary that this be an issue that transcends individual governments and becomes a State program,” said Veas.
Regarding the environmental impact, he says that it is understood that the infrastructure can pose challenges in terms of visual pollution and health. However, he assured that there are mechanisms to facilitate sharing between operators, reducing the number of towers and thus mitigating these effects.
Despite the advantages and benefits offered by the initiative, it is important to take into account that until 2022 only 28% of the rural population had Internet access, according to the ICT Ministry. Given this panorama, the question arises as to how the use of 4G can be implemented and promoted without having reached half of the population with 5G technology.
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Nicolás Silva, Executive Director of the Communications Regulation Commission, addressed this question when speaking with Infobae:
“The implementation of technologies occurs in parallel and does not occur sequentially. Although there are challenges in the implementation of 4G, it is necessary to continue promoting its development through public policies”, he explained.
He added that initiatives that provide connectivity in remote areas of Colombia should be promoted and that at the same time progress should be made in the implementation of 5G to keep up with other countries and offer quality services to both citizens and business solutions. “Both technologies share elements and can be developed in parallel.”
“Operators do not always have a commercial interest in reaching these small areas or those with little demand, public policies have been implemented to encourage their investment through obligations to do. This allows operators to allocate resources earmarked for spectrum payments in 4G, 5G or other technologies, to the deployment of infrastructure,” he concluded.
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