Colombian ISP bites the dust.
Colombiana de Comunicaciones (Coldecon) offered dial-up access, ADSL, wireless broadband, and VoIP telephony, as well as various corporate Internet services. Through acquisitions and mergers, it was one of the leading ISPs in Colombia, with a nationwide network covering all major towns.
Coldecon began operations in 1998, in Cali. It obtained approval from CRT in June 2005 to acquire rivals Andinet and Telesat. Andinet, in turn, had acquired LatinoNet, the Colombian operations of Universo Online (UOL), in February 2003. In early 2006, Coldecon absorbed another two ISPs, Geonet (in Medellin) and Enred (in Barranquilla and Cartagena). In January 2008, it bought ISP People On Line (in Cali).
Having won an international tender from Compartel, Coldecon contracted Airspan in January 2006 for a broadband rural access project to provide broadband to 2,224 schools and public institutions.
In December 2008, Coldecon ran into financial strife and became subject to bankruptcy and judicial liquidation proceedings. The following month, it suspended operations without notice, causing havoc for customers suddenly left with no Internet access, email service, or website hosting.
See also: Colombia – Convergence, Broadband & Internet Market – Overview, Statistics & Forecasts
Tagged in: Colombia, Latin America (Includes the Caribbean)
