Colombia Smart Pole Market Overview, 2031

Market Insights on Colombia Smart Pole Market

• Colombia's smart pole market has undergone a significant transformation over the past five years, evolving from fragmented LED retrofits into an emerging national infrastructure priority driven by municipal ambition and public-private collaboration. The sector is propelled by a powerful convergence of digital transformation strategies and urban modernization agendas. Bogotá stands at the forefront of this transition, with the "Bogotá Capital Digital" strategy proposing a new intelligent lighting system that transforms public illumination infrastructure into a technological platform serving citizens.
• According to the research report, "Colombia Smart Poles Market Overview, 2031," published by Bonafide Research, the Colombia Smart Poles market is anticipated to add USD 45.98 Million by 2026–31. Through Agreement Project 767, presented to the Bogotá City Council, the city aims to incorporate artificial intelligence and other technologies into public lighting operations with support from ETB (Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Bogotá), the District ICT Advisory Office, and the District Treasury Secretariat. The proposal envisions installing between 15,000 and 50,000 cameras on light poles to strengthen security and mobility in public spaces.
• Beyond the capital, Cali has emerged as a leader in LED modernization, with over 55,000 new LED luminaires installed during the administration of Mayor Alejandro Eder, representing 30% of the city's public lighting modernized. Despite these advances, the market faces obstacles including fragmented municipal procurement processes and the complexity of retrofitting legacy infrastructure.

Competitive Landscape of Colombia Smart Pole Market

• Enel X, the advanced energy solutions business line of Enel Colombia, is developing comprehensive business plans generating value through innovative, sustainable, and integrated solutions.
• Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM) has emerged as a dominant force in smart lighting innovation, launching one of the region's first AI-driven grid initiatives and receiving the MINTIC excellence seal for its public lighting telemanagement pilot project covering 3,818 lighting points. EPM serves as the service provider for Medellín's public lighting, executing renovations across strategic points including Pueblito Paisa, Plaza Botero, San Juan and San Diego bridges, and rural areas like Barro Blanco.
• The value chain is shifting toward integrated solutions combining AI-powered video analytics, telemanagement, and IoT platforms. Entry barriers remain substantial, requiring compliance with Colombia's RETIE (Technical Regulation for Electrical Installations) and RETILAP (Technical Regulation for Lighting and Public Lighting).
• Investment is flowing through multiple channels, with energy companies and industries investing over $600 million USD in 2024 to deploy energy management solutions monitoring consumption patterns.
• Consumer expectations are evolving, with citizens demanding tangible benefits including improved public safety, enhanced connectivity, and environmental monitoring a trend reflected in Cartagena's telemanagement pilot incorporating UbiHub cameras with 4K HD monitoring and AI-powered people and vehicle counting.

Colombia Market Dynamics

Driver: "Bogotá Capital Digital" AI-Powered Lighting Strategy
Bogotá's ambitious intelligent lighting proposal serves as a primary catalyst for smart pole deployment across Colombia. Through Agreement Project 767, the city seeks to transform public lighting into a technological platform integrating sensors, cameras, and IoT-connected devices on light poles. The project includes panic buttons for citizens to request immediate help in emergencies. Between 15,000 and 50,000 cameras are planned to strengthen security. This comprehensive approach creates a replicable model for other Colombian municipalities.

Challenge: Fragmented Municipal Procurement and Legacy Infrastructure
Colombia's decentralised municipal governance structure creates significant deployment friction, with each city maintaining independent procurement processes and technical standards. The complexity of retrofitting legacy infrastructure increases costs and extends project timelines. While Cali has modernised 55,000 luminaires, reaching 30% of its public lighting, many municipalities struggle with outdated systems. Technical standards like RETIE and RETILAP add compliance complexity.



Trend: AI-Integrated Public Safety and Telemanagement
Artificial intelligence is fundamentally transforming Colombia's smart poles from passive lighting into active public safety assets. Cartagena's telemanagement pilot, operated by EPM, features UbiHub monitoring cameras with 4K HD resolution and AI-powered edge analytics for vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian counting. The system includes air quality sensors measuring temperature, humidity, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and noise levels. Medellín has activated 2,218 intelligent luminaires that report their status online, enabling remote parameter adjustment and fault detection.

Segment Analysis

Colombia Smart Pole Software Market by Component
• Hardware forms the foundation of Colombia's smart pole infrastructure, encompassing durable LED lighting lamps, pole brackets, communication devices, and intelligent controllers. Cali's modernization has installed over 55,000 LED luminaires across the city. LED technology delivers 50-70% energy savings compared to traditional public lighting, and up to 80% when combined with intelligent systems. Cartagena's pilot features 600 telemanagement nodes installed on LED luminaires.
• Software platforms are rapidly emerging as strategic enablers, enabling centralized management, real-time monitoring, and predictive maintenance. Bogotá's intelligent lighting system will be coordinated from a Monitoring and Control Centre that oversees the city's status and activates actions for security, traffic, environment, and emergency response. Medellín's telemanagement system enables online status checking and fault detection.
• The service segment encompasses installation, maintenance, data analytics, and telemanagement. EPM's telemanagement pilot for Cartagena includes remote on/off control, energy consumption monitoring, fault detection, light dimming for energy savings, real-time equipment information, asset management, and GPS georeferencing. The pilot's second phase adds mobility, security, and air quality functionalities.

Colombia Smart Pole Software Market by Installation Type
• New installations are deployed in urban renewal zones and strategic projects. Medellín has installed 2,773 LED lighting points across 70 strategic projects between 2020 and 2025. New interventions include 81 poles with LED nodes in Moravia and the Madre Laura bridge area. Pueblito Paisa received new LED luminaires, projectors, and a tower expanding illumination ranges.
• Retrofit installations dominate Colombia's approach, converting existing infrastructure without new foundations. Cali's modernization of over 55,000 luminaires represents large-scale retrofit, with 5,098 LED luminaires installed in eastern neighbourhoods including Alfonso López, Petecuy, El Retiro, and Charco Azul. Medellín's Plaza Botero received 21 replacement luminaires. The Sumapaz Tunnel is modernising with next-generation LED lighting.

Colombia Smart Pole Software Market by Application
• Smart transportation leads Colombian smart pole applications, with roadway lighting modernisation improving safety and energy efficiency. Medellín prioritised corridors with high pedestrian circulation, including San Juan and San Diego bridges receiving 21 poles and 29 LED luminaires after over two decades without intervention. The Sumapaz Tunnel's LED modernisation benefits over 16 million users annually.
• Public spaces benefit from smart poles providing lighting, safety, and environmental monitoring. Bogotá's proposal includes panic buttons on light poles for emergency assistance. Medellín's Pueblito Paisa and Plaza Botero received LED upgrades for enhanced visibility. Cartagena's Av. Santander and Av. Blas de Lezo host the telemanagement pilot's second phase devices.
• Industrial applications at transport hubs leverage smart poles for security and efficiency. The Smart City Expo Cartagena 2025 highlighted urban innovation and digital transformation. Colombia's grid expansion plans require modern transmission lines and smart grid technologies, with pole line hardware as an essential component. Cartagena's telemanagement pilot positions the city as a model for connected urban infrastructure.
• Corporate campuses and parking lots deploy smart poles for security surveillance and connectivity. Smart poles increasingly integrate Wi-Fi access points, with Bogotá's proposal including connectivity systems on light poles. Cartagena's UbiHub devices can act as access points providing internet connectivity to nearby individuals. Energy efficiency projects in public lighting are being structured across Colombian municipalities.  


Considered in this report
• Historic Year: 2020
• Base year: 2025
• Estimated year: 2026
• Forecast year: 2031

Aspects covered in this report
• Smart Pole Market with its value and forecast along with its segments
• Various drivers and challenges
• On-going trends and developments
• Top profiled companies
• Strategic recommendation

By Component
• Hardware
• Software
• Service

By Hardware Type
• Lighting Lamp
• Pole Bracket & Pole Body
• Communication Device
• Controller
• Others

By Installation Type
• New Installation
• Retrofit Installation

By Application
• Highways and Roadways
• Public Places and Plazas
• Railways and Harbors
• Parking Lots and Campuses