RedINC — Indigenous, Black & Campesino Community Cellular Network

In September 2017, around 20 community leaders from the rural districts of El Porvenir and El Ceral in Buenos Aires municipality, Cauca, Colombia (population approximately 32,600), approached the Colombian NGO Colnodo about the total absence of cellular coverage in their territory.

Working with Colnodo, Rhizomatica, the Internet Society and the Association for Progressive Communications, the communities installed trial GSM equipment using the open-source Osmocom "network-in-a-box" software in the 900MHz band, on spectrum approved on a pilot basis by Colombia's telecoms ministry (MinTIC) and National Spectrum Agency (ANE).

Colombia's GISWatch country report records that, almost a year and a half into negotiations, regulatory delays meant the pilot had still not been fully implemented — a cautionary note on how long community-spectrum approval can take. The network eventually became operational as RedINC ("Red Indígena, Negra y Campesina"), now reported to serve nearly 50 households with 4G connectivity at 20 Mbps, plus a neighbouring school.

RedINC is one of a small number of community-run cellular networks anywhere to secure a direct spectrum-sharing agreement with a national regulator.