During Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva’s visit to Colombia, there was also a meeting between the Minister of Technology, Information and Communication, Mauricio Lizcano, and his Brazilian counterpart, Juscelino Filho. They agreed to exchange policies that promote cooperation between research institutes and corporations. The purpose of this exchange is to strengthen this industry in both countries.
Colombia’s government has consolidated and reiterated its promise to achieve better connectivity in the Amazon. ICT Minister Mauricio Lizcano and Juscelino Filho, Brazil’s Minister of State for Communications, signed a Memorandum of Understanding. This pact is a component of the broader bilateral cooperation agreements being established during Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s official visit to Colombia today.
Minister Lizcano stated: “Since we arrived, we have been analyzing how to improve connectivity in Leticia, and saw that using Brazil’s optical fiber was an option. Last year, we met with Minister Juscelino Filho, and thanks to our joint efforts, we reached an agreement for Telebras to extend the optical fiber to Tabatinga, Brazil, where it will arrive in June.”
The minister continued: “From there, we can extend it to Leticia and the rest of the region. This means that the agreement we signed today has been in the works since last year, and it marks a step towards solving Amazon’s connectivity issues with high-speed internet via optical fiber. Undoubtedly, this is great news for the entire region.”
What does this partnership between Colombia and Brazil mean in terms of technological connectivity?
Brazil and Colombia will connect their optic fiber infrastructure, linking Tabatinga and Leticia. The capital will become the kickstart point of connectivity for the region, to expand the coverage, quality, and capacity of its networks.
For this pact to be successfully implemented, a technical work group will be created. The main objective of this group will be to plan and analyze the viability of the connection between the two cities, and it will be coordinated by the Secretary of Telecommunications of Brazil’s Ministry of Communications and the Vice Minister of Communications of Colombia.
The agreement will have an initial duration of five years, allowing for diverse cooperation in many areas, with the primary goal of making Colombia a digital power in the region. This will include developing mobile technologies, standardizing apps, and implementing emerging technology including the internet, AI and cyber security, as well as developing communication infrastructure.
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