Chilean regulator Subtel and the regional government of Ñuble in southern Chile have signed an agreement for a fibre optic and last mile programme.
According to local press reports, more than 7,600 million pesos (about $9.1 million) will be allocated by the regional government to ensure internet connections in the most remote areas in Ñuble.
The regional government will transfer the sum to Subtel, which will be in charge of carrying out the programme.
The programme will be in two stages. The first involves reaching the localities that are not currently covered by the Chilean National Fibre Optic project (an initiative announced in 2019 and designed to double the current capacity of the country's fibre-optic network), with the aim of offering 100 percent coverage of the cities, towns and villages of Ñuble.
The second stage is called the Last Mile project. Infrastructure provided by a company called Fibra Óptica Ñuble will be used for ensuring home internet services for localities with a higher concentration of dwellings. Areas with more dispersed populations will also be addressed; wireless internet may be deployed for those.
Francisco Moreno, the Chilean Undersecretary of Telecommunications, has suggested that what he calls “this gigantic step forward in connectivity” would allow households in the region to access the many benefits of high-speed connectivity, from telecommuting to distance education and electronic commerce. It could also, he said, enable the promotion of businesses linked to digital innovation.
