The agreement was signed under the Peruvian Transportation and Communications Ministry’s CONECTA SELVA programme, part of the government’s special plan to bring the internet to rural areas and places of social interest as a result of the Covid-19 emergency in the country.
The project officially began on Friday, 28 May with installation of the first two antennas in a school in San Jose, in the department of Ucayali, in a ceremony attended by Peruvian Transportation and Communications Minister Eduardo Martin González Chávez, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications
Under the project, Telespazio will provide internet connections at 1316 locations, 1212 of which are schools, in the forest that covers most of the Amazonas, Loreto, Madre de Dios and Ucayali regions.
Telespazio will install a VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) antenna at each site providing an internet connection via satellite. Every school will have a wifi network, with a router and computers on which educational software will be installed. A tower will be installed outside the buildings with a hotspot for use by the local community. The agreement also involves installation of energy systems with solar panels and batteries guaranteeing a sustainable electricity supply.
The contract is worth about 20 million dollars, over a time span of almost three years.
“The agreement demonstrates the role satellite technology can play on the broadband connectivity market, a technology that can be implemented in even the most remote locations within a reasonable time period and at an affordable cost. Telespazio is ready to support government policies and the technological choices of commercial operators offering our satellite connectivity solutions to speed up existing projects and guarantee access to broadband services for the entire population within a definite time scale”.
Alessandro Caranci, in charge of Telespazio’s Satellite Communications Business Line.
The initiative is consistent with Leonardo’s commitment to inclusive digitalisation, an engine driving sustainable development, the requirements of which include overcoming inequality and barriers impeding access to secure, dependable connectivity services, among the goals of the Be Tomorrow – Leonardo 2030 strategic plan.
