Telebras and Antel to Interconnect Fiber Network

By Narayan Ammachchi

Seeking to interconnect the fiber networks between the two South American countries, Brazil’s telecom operator Telebras and Uruguay’s Antel teamed up to build a network node near the border. 

The new network is designed to speed up internet service across the region, enabling enterprises to access high-speed broadband service at a cost-effective price. The node will be built in Santana do Livramento, a city near the Uruguayan border, according to a press release from Telebras, Brazil’s state-run telecom company.

Uruguay and Brazil plan to use the network to set up tele-centers as well, which will offer computer- learning courses to the population.

Brazil’s telecom minister Paulo Bernardo stated that the interconnection project would spur economic growth in the two countries and help governments plug the digital gap.

Telebras’ backbone network now spans 25,000 km, providing direct or indirect connectivity to 1,300 municipalities that are being served by Brazil’s national broadband plan Plano Nacional de Banda Larga (PNBL), according to Telegeography.

Caio Bonilha, President of Telebras, said the network node will bolster the telecom infrastructure in both the countries and enable millions of people to access high-speed broadband service.

The president of Antel, Carolina Cosse, stated that the partnership opens a new door for the two countries to work together to strengthen their institutions in the sectors such as energy, information technology as well as electronics.

According to other reports, the FTTH project passes around 418,000 households in Uruguay, 111,000 of which are already connected to the network.

Projects of this kind are changing broadband service market in Latin America. Internet service prices have dropped dramatically in countries like Nicaragua, where Chinese operators are rolling out 4G services. For example, broadband prices have come down by 90% over the past eight years.