Candarave becomes connected rural community via Peruvian fiber network project

Ten thousand residents in Candarave, a community in the Tacna region of Peru, are now able to connect to the rest of the world through a fiber-optic network that provides comprehensive Internet and telephony services – the first rural community in the country to benefit from such a project.

The project was financed and organized by the Telecommunications Investment Fund (Fondo de Inversión en Telecomunicaciones). The bid was won by a consortium of local optical networking companies. Cisco was also involved in this project to facilitate access to Cisco TelePresence services to allow communications between Candarave with the rest of the country.

This project’s investment, $3.6 million, includes the provision of 300 km (186 miles) of fiber-optic cable and connectivity equipment to provide telephony and broadband Internet to the inhabitants of the area, which registers one of the highest indexes of poverty in the country.

The districts benefiting from this project are Cairani, Camilaca, Candarave, Curibaya, Huanuara, and Quilahuani from the province of Candavare, Tacna region.

The project is expected to considerably improve the inhabitants’ quality of life, in social, economic, educational, and health terms. Thanks to the contribution of the government, two dozen locations will have access to the Internet, public and fixed telephony with affordable fees, intranets, web portals, and unlimited communication between locations. The fiber-optic cable will enable six local governments, 12 health centers and two police stations in the region to be interconnected with each other and with the rest of the country.

“Cisco’s participation in the Candarave project … represents a milestone and a huge responsibility, as we are helping the state to meet its goal of developing rural areas and improving Peru’s connectivity. The current government is committed to connecting locations regardless of distance, trying to link them with the rest of the country and the world, thereby increasing their productive activities and family welfare,” said Alba San Martín, country manager for Peru and Bolivia, Cisco.

Twenty-three schools will be linked via the new network, which will help them access and deliver instructional materials.

The technological investment in Candarave also integrates health services via an intranet (a private network of connected computers). In a second stage, with Cisco’s direct participation, the high-definition Cisco TelePresence platform will be launched. Using this technology, it will be possible to hold a meeting in the south of the country with someone in Miami or London. People will also have access to IP television, which allows them to watch their favorite programs via the Internet.

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