When Elias — a Stockholm-based UX researcher who had relocated to Medellín — had his first video call with his Swedish client team, he sent them a screenshot afterward: 240 Mbps download, 220 Mbps upload, 9ms latency, on the fiber connection in his Laureles apartment. The Swedes were unimpressed — they assumed it was a fluke. On the second call, third call, and every subsequent one, the connection held. His apartment's internet cost: COP 95,000 per month — approximately USD 23. For remote workers and digital nomads considering Colombia, connectivity is one of the country's less-advertised but most tangible competitive advantages over other Latin American destinations.
Colombia has invested heavily in fiber-optic infrastructure since 2015, and by 2026 the major cities — Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, and Barranquilla — have residential fiber coverage that matches or exceeds what most Western European cities offer in terms of speed-to-price ratio. Understanding what to expect, what to ask for, and what doesn't work outside the major cities shapes the practical experience of remote work in Colombia.
major cities 2026
speeds in Medellín/Bogotá
from Bogotá/Medellín
variable, often mobile only
Fiber in the Major Cities: What to Expect
In Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, and Barranquilla, residential fiber-optic internet is widely available in mid-to-high-density residential areas. The main providers are Claro (Claro Hogar), ETB (Bogotá only — municipal provider, highly regarded for consistency), Tigo, and Movistar. Typical residential plans in 2026 offer 200–600 Mbps symmetric (equal upload and download) for COP 80,000–160,000 per month. Latency to US East Coast servers is typically 9–18ms, making it suitable for video calls, live coding sessions, and cloud-based work with US-based teams. Installation takes 3–7 business days after application.
Coworking Spaces: Backup and Socialization
Medellín in particular has one of Latin America's most developed coworking ecosystems. Spaces like Selina, WeWork, Latitude, and dozens of independent coworkings in El Poblado and Laureles offer day passes (COP 35,000–80,000) and monthly memberships (COP 400,000–900,000). Most offer 500 Mbps+ WiFi, meeting rooms, and café-quality coffee. Bogotá's coworking scene is larger in absolute number of spaces but less concentrated — Chapinero and Candelaria are the main hubs. For digital nomads who prefer a social work environment or need a backup to apartment internet, coworkings are a well-developed infrastructure in both cities.
Mobile Data: eSIM and Local SIM
For connectivity on the move, Colombian mobile networks (Claro, Tigo, Movistar) offer competitive prepaid and postpaid plans. A Claro postpaid plan with unlimited WhatsApp/social + 30 GB of data costs approximately COP 70,000–90,000 per month. eSIM services (Airalo, Holafly) offer Colombia-specific data packages starting at USD 6 for 1 GB — useful for the first days before a local SIM is set up. Signal in Medellín's metro area and Bogotá's urban center is strong on all three networks. Rural areas, Pacific coast, and Amazon region have patchy or mobile-only connectivity.
What Doesn't Work: Coffee Towns, Small Cities, Rural Areas
The connectivity picture changes dramatically outside the major cities. Salento, Jardín, Villa de Leyva, and many of Colombia's picturesque coffee-region towns have limited fiber coverage — most connections are DSL or mobile. Speeds of 10–20 Mbps are common, and connection stability varies. For remote workers whose income depends on reliable high-bandwidth connections, these towns are better suited to weekend trips than extended work bases. The Eje Cafetero (Coffee Region) as a whole is improving, but in 2026 it remains a lower-connectivity environment than the major cities.