Argentine government-owned telecommunications company Empresa Argentina de Soluciones Satelitales Sociedad Anónima AR-SAT (ARSAT) has signed an agreement with the Secretary of State for Energy to expand the country's Federal Fibre Optic Network (Refefo) by lighting up some 4,405 kilometres of unused fibre cables.
The meeting was attended by the Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers, Juan Manzur , the Deputy Chief of the Cabinet, Jorge Neme, our president Pablo Tognetti , the Secretary of Energy, Darío Martínez, the member of the ARSAT board of directors, Facundo Leal , and representatives of the Administration Committee of the Trust Fund for Federal Electric Transportation (CAF) and the company TRANSENER.
The fibre links – which span 14 provinces – will be used to support the 35,000km Red Federal de Fibra Optica (Refefo) and help deliver connectivity to isolated locations.
The infrastructure encompasses three pairs of fibre deployed via 15 lines originally built for extensions of power lines under Argentina's first federal electric transportation plan that are currently unused.
“The agreement that we signed today will enable ARSAT to improve the quality and extension of the Federal Fiber Optic Network. Advancing in telecommunications connectivity throughout our territory is one more step in the construction of a more federal country, ”said the Chief of Staff, Juan Manzur.
"This joint work between different areas of the Government will make it possible to have more than 4000 km of optical fiber that is not being used in electrical power lines and can now be used to reduce the digital divide in 14 provinces of the NOA and Patagonia" Juan added.
