Colombia could see a major boost to fixed access with a new agreement that, it is claimed, will provide the capital Bogotá with the largest fibre optic network coverage for fibre to the home (FTTH) in Latin America.
The agreement, between ETB, the main telecommunications operator in Bogotá, and UFINET, a neutral fibre optic operator in the wholesale telecommunications market, will create a company that will not only commercialize a neutral FTTH network in the wholesale telecommunications market in Bogotá but also in the capital’s nearby towns.
The network will begin with an offer of more than 1,200,000 homes. The initial plan consists of offering coverage in the Bogotá region of about 2,500,000 homes in a maximum period of three years.
The strategy, say the partners, will allow more families in this region to have ultra-broadband access, including layers 1 and 2. This, they suggest, is especially important at a time when the lack of connectivity or low speeds mean fewer opportunities to study, work from home, or access entertainment.
The operation is subject to the pre-evaluation of the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce.
ETB’s majority shareholder is the Distrito Capital (Capital District). It provides a wide variety of telecommunications services, and its shares are listed on the Colombian Stock Exchange.
UFINET is a major player in the Latin America market, with more than 75,000 km of optical fibre deployed in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile.