Chile Begins Work On ‘Fibra Optica Austral’ Project

Chile Begins Work On ‘Fibra Optica Austral’ Southern Fibre project

By Telecompaper

February 28, 2018

Chile has announced that work has finally begun on the USD 100 million ‘Fibra Optica Austral’ project to roll out nearly 4,000 km of fibre-optic infrastructure in the Patagonia region. The aim is to boost telecommunications in the underserved region, bringing much-needed economic, tourism and trade benefits, said new transport and telecommunications minister Paola Tapia Salas in an interview with Diario Financiero. The minister added that the plan was to complete the work over the next 26 months.

In October the ministry announced that local telecommunications operator Communication and Rural Telephony (CTR), in association with Huawei Marine, had been awarded the tender for the submarine section and one of three land-based sections of the project. The consortium will be extending a 3,000km submarine cable from Puerto Montt to Puerto Williams with landings at Caleta Tortel and Punta Arenas plus a land-based stretch from Puerto Natales to Porvenir in Magallanes.

Two of the land-based sections in Los Lagos and Aysen were not awarded because bids failed to meet technical criteria but the government has pledged to relaunch the corresponding tenders

Read more…