Uruguay's first submarine cable will improve internet browsing speeds, meet the growing demand for broadband and position the state-owned company Antel as a regional service provider. "The project guarantees Uruguay's sovereignty in telecommunications and is the locomotive of the 21st century," said industry minister Carolina Cosse at the inauguration ceremony.
The cable extends from Punta del Este to the city of Fortaleza, Brazil. The section continues from Fortaleza to Boca de Raton, in the state of Florida in the United States. Between the two sections, the total length of the cable will be more than 12,000 kilometres. The initiative will make it possible to improve the speed of Internet browsing in Uruguay and meet the growing demand for broadband. It will also allow Uruguay to market services to 250 million people and position itself as a hub for the region. "We are witnessing the realisation of a project that could have been just a dream," began the Minister of Industry, Energy and Mining, Carolina Cosse.
She said that the world has changed the way of producing and selling and that business models are no longer the same. She added: "This is why it is essential to have a direct connection to the world". "Uruguay is a reliable country, with a consolidated democracy and unbreakable institutions," Cosse emphasised. She added: "We want a Uruguay in this new world, which exercises its sovereign presence in the current global political, social and economic context". For his part, the president of Antel, Andrés Tolosa, explained that the cable is a very important link in the country's digital system, as it will make it possible for the state-owned company to be an Internet provider for the world. "It also implies total sovereignty in terms of communications," he added. The inauguration ceremony was held at stop 8 at Playa Brava in Punta del Este, and was attended by Antel's manager, Javier Emicuri, the mayor of Maldonado, Enrique Antía, and representatives of Google and Alcatel.
73.8 million investment
The president of Antel, Andrés Tolosa, stressed that Antel has invested 73.8 million dollars in the project, in which Google is also participating. Tolosa stressed that "this cable is a very important link in the country's digital system, which will allow us to be Internet providers for the world". It will enable the "sale of storage capacity" to countries such as Argentina and Brazil. "It is a very long-term project," he said. It also implies total sovereignty in communications, which will make it possible to manage and control the growth of internet links as demand arises, with autonomy from other countries.
Tolosa recalled that at the beginning of this project, international traffic was in the order of 50 GB per second. According to the forecasts, it was expected to grow by 50 %. Today we can say that traffic has increased tenfold, reaching 500 GB per second. With regard to the possibility of a drop in tariffs for the population, Tolosa recalled that in the last ten years, in real terms and in relation to the CPI, they have fallen by more than 60 %. "The same will surely happen in the future, and the internet capacity generated by this cable is what guarantees it.
At the global forefront
The information and communication technology industry is in a process of growing demand for data and video traffic, in qualities that require high bandwidth (Full HD; 4K, etc.). In this hyper-connected world, where 99% of international communications are transmitted via submarine cables, having this infrastructure is a strategic necessity for Antel. Uruguay will have its own direct channel to the Internet, a fundamental information highway that will generate new opportunities for the economic, social and cultural development of the country. An own submarine fibre optic system means independence and sovereignty for the country, with guaranteed bandwidth availability in the long term. The Submarine Cable, the new Data Centre, the Fibre Optic to the Home network and the LTE mobile network with national coverage, position Antel as the Technological Hub of reference in the Region, which allows it to offer services to the global market. In what was considered a milestone in the development of telecommunications, for being the first country in South America with the new generation of submarine fibre optic cables, with the last section inaugurated, which connects Punta del Este with Fortaleza and is more than 2000 km long. Antel has the exclusive use of two fibre pairs, which translates into a transmission capacity of 40 Terabits per second, which is comparatively a much higher capacity per inhabitant than that of our Latin American neighbours. A technician present at the event exemplified that these 40 Terabits could allow 10 million people to be watching the same video on the internet at the same time without the transmission being interrupted. This capacity will allow not only to cover 100% of the national broadband demand, but will also give the possibility to commercialise capacity to other countries in the region, not only as clients but also as suppliers in Uruguay and Latin America. The inaugurated cables will allow countless competitive advantages: more bandwidth and connectivity for the region, lower latency and more options for operators. In times of hyperconnection, where 99% of international Internet communications are transmitted through submarine cables, this infrastructure is a fundamental highway, generating opportunities for the economic, social and cultural development of the country. The Submarine Cable, the Data Centre certified Tier III under construction by the Uptime Institute, and the Optical Fibre network with national coverage, ranked among the 10 best in the world, position Antel in an unbeatable position to become the Technological Hub of the Region, with a service offer that can reach more than 250 million customers in several markets.
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