Telecom Argentina has launched a 6.8mn-peso (US$150,000) satellite-connected 4G service in the municipality of Presidente Roca in Santa Fe province, which became the first town in the country to have a mobile site with a satellite link.
Telecom Argentina’s Personal 4G network now reportedly serves more than 1,540 localities and 12.5mn people.
In the first quarter, Telecom Argentina deployed 140 new mobile sites and modernized and upgraded 815 to incorporate new frequency bands, part of quarterly investments that surpassed 9bn pesos, down 3% year-over-year in real terms.
According to the Argentine government, Santa Fe has 1,900km of fiber optics from the federal fiber optic network (Refefo), a national backbone operated by state telco Arsat, connecting more than 3mn residents in the province.
Average fixed internet speed is now 13.3Mbps, up from 4.8Mbps, the government said.
Santa Fe has 129 internet nodes or "shelters," booths where SMEs and cooperatives can connect to Refefo, and 336 localities covered by the 4G LTE network, which represents around 90% of its population.
According to telecom regulator Enacom, Santa Fe accounted for 1,649 of the country's 22,102 active 4G antennas at the end of 2018.
Refefo falls under the national telecommunications and connectivity plan. The objective of the plan is to bridge the digital divide between large urban centers and smaller towns and villages. Works are overseen by the modernization ministry, to which Arsat is linked.
Specific goals include reaching 100% of the population with 4G by 2020, connecting over 2mn homes and increasing average broadband speed to 20Mbps.
Source: https://www.bnamericas.com/en/news/telecom-argentina-invests-in-satellite-4g-in-santa-fe