The news became known moments ago, when the heads of the Communications ministries of Brazil and Colombia contacted by telephone. Yes, the call between the head of the Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies (MinTIC) of Colombia, Mauricio Lizcano, and the Ministry of Communications (MCom) of Brazil, Juscelino Filho, confirmed that this Monday, July 1, the fiber optic cable that connects the Amazon area where both nations meet: Tabatinga, in Brazil, and Leticia, in Colombia.
This achievement was sown when the first leaders of both countries signed, last April, a Memorandum of Understanding that will allow the deployment of fiber optic Internet in the Colombian Amazon. To this end, an agreement was established between Telebrás and Internexa so that the fiber reaches the Brazilian town of Tabatinga and then connects to its Colombian counterpart, Leticia.
After this link reaches Leticia, the initiative plans to connect 9,705 humble homes (stratum 1 and 2, low-low and low, respectively) located in the department of Amazonas, 8,547 of them in Leticia and the remaining 1,158, in Puerto Nariño, through the alliance with the operator Internexa.
For the practical purposes of developing this initiative, the MinTIC announced that a Technical Working Group will be created for the planning and analysis of the connection between the two cities, which will be coordinated by the Telecommunications Secretariat of the MCom, and the Vice Ministry of MinTIC connectivity; In addition, both countries may invite third parties to be part of the plan.
“We are making the dream of thousands of Amazonian residents come true, to have the connectivity they need and deserve. Thanks to a joint effort with Minister Juscelino Filho, we reached an agreement between Telebrás and Internexa to take fiber optics to Tabatinga, Brazil, and from there deploy it to Leticia,” said Lizcano, who also celebrated that “we can tell all Amazonian residents that with this connection, high-speed Internet will arrive that will solve the connectivity problem in this region, by expanding the coverage, quality and capacity of the backbone networks.”
It is a binational agreement that, in addition, involves a “significant commitment” between both countries to work for the connectivity of the Amazon and that, as the announcement celebrates, “opens the door for the arrival of new investors and multinational companies , that can contribute to the economic and social development of the region.”
“The start of the deployment of fiber optics in Amazonas from Brazil is another step by the ICT Ministry to turn Colombia into a Digital Power, improving connectivity especially in areas where this has always been a challenge,” said the Colombian sector portfolio in conclusion, thus exhibiting one of the many efforts made in the region to reach the most remote and complex areas such as, in this case, the so-called “lungs of the planet.”
Brazil has been working hard to bridge the digital divide in the Amazon, for example through the Infovías network, but also through other initiatives. One of them became known seven months ago when the small ISP Veloso Net and Huawei built 4G networks in the jungle region to facilitate connectivity for indigenous communities in the Solimões region, in the heart of the Amazon, where some 62,000 people live.
In Leticia, even, Claro Colombia announced an investment of more than 10.5 million dollars to deploy a fiber optic network that improves 4G mobile services and that also strengthens the infrastructure deployed in that area where Brazil and Colombia share a border. , and also Peru.
A month ago, Nokia and Global Fiber Peru announced the implementation of a new optical, IP and underwater fiber broadband network in Peru, with the aim of promoting connectivity in the Amazon rainforest, which would initially facilitate access to more than 400 communities. Mexico also joined forces to reach the network with satellite links.
However, the call confirming the news was recorded for posterity and shared on social networks, available here. The convergence is total and the joy is not only Brazilian.
