Andean countries plan IP backbone

The Andean community's association of telecommunicatios firms Aseta plans to develop a project to reduce internet access costs in its member countries by creating an Andean IP backbone, Ecuadorian newspaper El Comercio reported. Aseta is in talks with nearly 18 telecommunications companies in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Aseta would allow all companies in the region to share the system so the cost for each member would be relatively low. Communications between computers in the Andean region tend to occur through connections via the US, with a corresponding toll, Aseta international relations director Eduardo Pichilingue was quoted as saying. "With this infrastructure, Andean countries will no longer depend on the US," he added. The project will also help improve quality of service, avoiding bottlenecks as traffic competes to go through the US and pressure due to the increasing number of users. At the same time, Andean telcos will be able to develop and provide different services across the region. The International Telecommunication Union has already given approval for the project and offered cooperation in technical aspects. The project is currently at the promotion and commercialization stage.