Brazilian telecoms group Oi SA, formed through the restructuring of Telemar Participacoes’ former operating divisions Brasil Telecom, Tele Norte Leste Participacoes, Coari Participacoes and Telemar Norte Leste, has started rolling out fibre-optic cabling in the northern state of Amapa, BNAmericas cites the company as saying. Upon completion of the project, which is designed to deliver broadband internet access in the region, Amapa will be connected via 600km of cabling, two-thirds of which will form part of the existing network of state-backed power utility Eletronorte. The electricity firm is working with government-owned telco Telebras to provide infrastructure to the privately owned telecoms operator.
Additionally, Oi SA plans to deploy a fibre-optic cable spanning 230km to link the border towns of Calcoene and Oiapoque with French Guiana. From Oiapoque, the fibre-optic link will cover some 200km to reach the capital of French Guiana Cayenne, connecting with a network belonging to local operator Guyacom. From here, the link-up will continue via a submarine cable to the city of Fortaleza, in Brazil’s Pernambuco state. As a result of the project, around 85% of urban inhabitants in Amapa will be able to benefit from high speed internet access services, it said. The Calcoene-Oiapoque segment of the cable is slated for deployment within 180 days of receipt of licences from the federal government, with the total investment expected to reach BRL32 million (USD16 million) – to be shared by Oi SA and the Amapa state government. The new links will supplement the current (expensive) satellite offerings there and as such, is expected to lower the cost of broadband access for end users, Oi SA said.