Argentina to deploy 250km of fiber backbone in Catamarca

Argentina’s federal government inked a US$6.5mn deal with Catamarca province for the deployment and extension of fiber backbone.

Arsat, the state satellite company responsible for the backbone known as Refefo, will be in charge of the deployment, it said in a statement.

In total, over 250km of network are expected to be rolled out in Catamarca. Resources will come from the country’s universal service trust fund.

After signing the deal with Catamarca governor Raúl Alejandro Jalil, and Juan Pablo Dusso, head of provincial telco Catamarca Telecomunicaciones, Arsat will submit to telecom regulator Enacom a program and project detailing the initiative.

Following its approval by Enacom, Arsat will then set the schedule for the works, which are expected to last 18 months.

The draft project is divided into two stretches.

The first comprises the deployment of 105km of fiber and network nodes running from El Salado to Fiambalá, while the second stretch will cover 149km from Villa Mazán to Andalgalá.

The initiative falls under connectivity initiative Plan Conectar, launched by President Alberto Fernández in September last year.

Currently, Refefo spans 31,259km of illuminated (active) fiber in 1,049 Argentine localities, including 29 localities and 672km in Catamarca, according to Arsat’s latest update.

In 2020, Enacom approved a program to increase Refefo’s capacity by updating its technological equipment.

The measure was necessary to allow “an adequate response” to requests for increases in capacity and new services by current licensees as well as by future licensees, Arsat said.