Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-19 05:55:05|Editor: yan

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MONTEVIDEO, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Uruguay inaugurated on Friday its first fiber optic link to the U.S. thanks to a new underwater cable, announced the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining.

The cable will improve Internet speeds in the country, increase broadband coverage and make Uruguay a regional provider of fast Internet access.

"This work guarantees the sovereignty of Uruguay for telecommunications, which is the engine of the 21st century," said Carolina Cosse, Minister of Industry, Energy and Mining, during a ceremony on a beach near Punta del Este.

The underwater cable extends from Punta del Esta to the Brazilian city of Fortaleza before being connected to Boca Raton, in U.S. Florida, for a total length of over 12,000 kilometers.

"We are seeing the completion of a project that could have remained a dream," remarked Cosse. "We want a Uruguay in this new world which can exercise its sovereign presence in the current political, social and economic global context. This implies total sovereignty in terms of communications."

Representatives from the likes of Google and Alcatel were also present at the ceremony, which have participated in the underwater cable project.

So far, Uruguay's only fiber optic connection had been to neighboring Argentina.