The ICT Minister, Mauricio Lizcano, and the president of Hispasat, Pedro Duque, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to connect the public square and two schools in the El Plateado district, in the municipality of Argelia (Cauca), to broadband satellite Internet. The Spanish ambassador to Colombia, Joaquín María de Arístegui, and Alberto Menghini, head of cooperation of the European Union in the country, were also present at the signing.
"The Government continues to deliver for the community of El Plateado. Free connectivity will soon be a reality in this community, with satellite Internet in three strategic points of the district, so that the community can connect from there. In addition, with this company we are also working on the communications satellite project for Colombia and other countries in the region, which is progressing well," said the ICT Minister, Mauricio Lizcano ( @MauricioLizcano ).
With the signing of the Memorandum, two schools, Sede Pepinal and Sede Bello Horizonte, and the public square of El Plateado will benefit. The connectivity service will be provided free of charge by Axess, at no cost to the Ministry, other Colombian public entities or the community.
The WiFi installations in schools will focus on the use of educational devices, benefiting both students and teachers. The public square, for its part, will have outdoor access points, which will provide coverage of 180 meters and the capacity to serve 200 simultaneous users. With this new initiative, it is expected that the community of El Plateado will improve its access to education and information, contributing to the development of the region.
This agreement confirms the previous collaboration between the ICT Ministry and Hispasat, where schools in regions such as Chocó and Guainía were connected, which also received distance learning solutions. In addition, it consolidates the coordination between the two entities, which in February of this year signed another Memorandum to explore joint projects with the aim of guaranteeing temporary satellite connectivity until the launch of a new satellite, a project on which the ICT Ministry continues to work.