When you live somewhere long enough, you stop guessing and start knowing. I've been in Medellín for six years now, and in that time I've been a customer of pretty much every major internet provider in the city. Claro, Tigo, Movistar, and most recently Somos. I've had the good, the frustrating, and the "why is this so complicated" moments with all of them.
If you're new here, or thinking about moving, finding clear information on internet providers in Medellín is surprisingly hard. So here's everything I've learned, from someone who has actually lived it rather than just compared spec sheets online.
A Quick Word on How Internet Works Here
Two things are worth knowing before you pick anyone.
First, coverage in Medellín changes street by street, sometimes building by building. A provider that's brilliant in El Poblado might not reach your friend's place in Laureles. Always check coverage at your exact address before you fall in love with a plan.
Second, there's a difference between fibre and cable. True fibre gives you symmetric speeds, meaning your upload is as fast as your download. That matters a lot if you work from home, do video calls, or upload files to the cloud. Some providers still run on older cable networks in parts of the city, where the upload is much slower than the download.
The Thing Nobody Warns You About: Getting Signed Up
This is the part that catches almost every newcomer off guard, and it's rarely mentioned anywhere, so pay attention if you've just arrived.
The traditional providers want a Colombian ID to sign you up. Claro, for example, requires a cédula, which means either a cédula de ciudadanía if you're a national or a cédula de extranjería if you're a foreign resident, along with your exact installation address. The others run similar identity and credit checks tied to a Colombian ID. A tourist passport on its own usually won't get you a contract.
The cédula de extranjería only comes once you have a visa with more than three months' validity and you've registered as a foreign resident. If you've just landed on a tourist stamp, you don't have one yet, and you could be waiting weeks or months to sort your residency.
So what do people actually do in the meantime? For years, the common workaround was getting the contract set up in a Colombian friend's name. I did exactly this before I had my own cédula. It works, but it's far from ideal. The account, the bills and the responsibility all sit with someone else, and you're relying on a favour to stay connected.
This is where Somos genuinely stands apart, and it's a big reason they suit newcomers so well. When I signed up with Somos, I was able to do it on my passport, without needing a cédula. For a short-term traveller or someone who has just arrived and hasn't sorted residency, that removes the single biggest barrier to getting online. No borrowing a friend's name, no waiting on paperwork. That alone makes them worth a serious look if you're new to the country.
The Providers, Ranked by My Experience
Here's where I'll be straight with you. After six years, this is how I'd rank them on quality and reliability:
- Somos and Movistar (joint first)
- Claro
- Tigo (last)
Let me explain why.
Movistar — Genuinely Excellent, With One Catch
Movistar was, honestly, brilliant. Reliable, fast, high quality. For the entire time I was with them, the connection just worked, which is all you really want from internet.
The only reason I ever left was the renewal. When my initial deal came up for renewal, the price roughly doubled. To get back to a fair rate, I had to cancel the service entirely, wait a month, and then sign up again as a new customer. That whole process was genuinely frustrating, and it's the one thing that pushed me to look elsewhere. The service itself, though, I have no complaints about. If you don't mind playing the renewal game, Movistar is a top-tier choice.
Movistar runs on symmetric fibre, with plans up to 900 Mbps, and they've repeatedly been rated the fastest fixed internet in Colombia. Worth a look if speed and a solid connection are your priority.
Somos — Where I Am Now, and Why I'm Staying
Here's the honest truth about how I ended up with Somos. I didn't go looking for them because of some big problem with my internet. I went looking because of the hassle of cancelling and re-signing with Movistar to escape the renewal price jump. I wanted a provider that didn't trap me in that cycle.
Somos solved exactly that. They run on a month-to-month model with no long-term contract, so there's no lock-in and no awkward dance to get a fair price. You stay because you want to, not because you're stuck.
And after being on Somos, I can say it's been absolutely fine. The connection is solid, the speeds are strong, and I genuinely have no reason to go back to any other provider. That's the highest compliment I can give. For someone living here short-term or long-term, the no-contract flexibility is a real advantage, and the service has more than held up.
If you want to take a look at their plans, you can do so here: Somos Internet
A couple of practical notes on Somos. They offer symmetric fibre with plans starting around 800 Mbps and going up to 2 Gbps, which is faster than anything else I've come across in the city. Pricing starts at very competitive rates, though it varies by strata. The one thing to check is coverage, as they're expanding building by building across the Valle de Aburrá, including Itagüí, Envigado and Sabaneta. Check their coverage map first to see if they've reached you.
Claro — Solid and Widely Available
Claro sits comfortably in the middle for me. It's a dependable service with the widest coverage in the country, so if you're somewhere the others don't reach, Claro is very often available. They've got a big range of fibre plans and fast technicians when you need a visit.
The main thing to be aware of is that Claro typically ties you into a twelve-month contract. If you're settled and staying put, that's fine. If you might move or leave Colombia within the year, that lock-in is worth thinking about.
Tigo — The One I'd Be Most Cautious About
I'll be honest about my experience here. Tigo was the most problematic provider I used. In my time with them, I had frequent outages, and that unreliability is the main reason they sit at the bottom of my list.
Tigo does have one appealing thing going for them, which is their all-in-one bundles. You can get TV, phone and internet packaged together, which sounds great on paper and can look like good value. But for me, the convenience of the bundle didn't make up for a connection that kept dropping. In Antioquia, a lot of Tigo's network is older cable rather than full fibre, which can mean weaker upload speeds too.
If reliability is your top priority, and for most people working or studying from home it is, I'd weigh that experience carefully.
So, Who Should You Choose?
Here's my simple take after six years of trial and error.
If you're here short-term or value flexibility, Somos is the standout. The no-contract model means you're never trapped, the speeds are excellent, and in my experience the service just works. On top of that, being able to sign up on a passport without a cédula makes them by far the easiest option if you've just arrived. That flexibility is exactly what won me over, and it's why I haven't looked back.
If you're settled long-term and want maximum coverage certainty, Claro is a safe, dependable bet, just be ready for the twelve-month commitment.
If you want a premium, fast connection and don't mind managing your renewals, Movistar is genuinely excellent.
And whatever you choose, check coverage at your specific address first. It's the single most important step, and it'll save you a lot of frustration.
Six years in, I've finally stopped switching. That tells you most of what you need to know.
