MNO provides connectivity to remote and rural communities in Peru

ABOUT

Andesat group specializes in corporate value-added communications services and operates in the Andean Region of Latin America. With the Rural Mobile Infrastructure Operator (OIMR) license awarded by the government of Peru, Andesat Peru is determined to provide voice and broadband connectivity to people in the most remote communities of the country.

CUSTOMER CHALLENGE

The communities in the rural areas of Peru are small, low income and lack access to many basic and critical services such as healthcare. With no internet access, opportunities for farmers, doctors or school children are very limited. The Peruvian government identified over 16,000 such rural communities of national interest in need of connectivity. However, the combination of difficult terrain of the Amazon rainforest, Andean mountains and deserts made bringing connectivity to the remote regions of Peru too risky and too expensive for any Mobile Network Operator (MNO) or communication service provider to tackle alone. Andesat knew, that to fulfill their OIMR obligation and connect those rural areas quickly and economically viably, they needed a different approach.

SOLUTION

Cellular Backhaul infrastructure that will enable MNOs to provide connectivity to remote and hard to reach communities in Peru.

HOW WE HELPED

Andesat and Intelsat partnered to develop a new infrastructure build-out model that enables MNOs fast roll out of broadband (3G) services in the rural areas of Peru. The new model of sharing network build-out expenses and revenues provides MNOs with access to a pay-per-use basis infrastructure, eliminating risks associated with investments in their own network. Andesat sourced sites, designed and built towers in the areas targeted by the government. Intelsat provided expertise and assistance in build-out of the integrated land-space infrastructure as well as broadband connectivity via its high-throughput satellite (HTS). Intelsat’s engineers worked with Andesat and MNOs to determine the allocation of bandwidth across the network and consistently monitored traffic data to deliver desired quality of service.

“It’s going to enable Peruvians to reach the world in a new and different way for the first time and be protagonists in building their own future.”

Andesat Group CEO Pablo Rasore

RESULTS

• Mobile broadband (3G) access to 154 rural Peruvian communities in the first six months of the project, and as many as 400 remote sites in Peru over the following 18 months
• Mobile voice and data traffic as well as Smartphone penetration growth surpassed expectations
• Risk-free model for MNOs enables them to focus on growing subscriber base and generating new revenue in areas previously unserved
• Faster, easier and more cost effective deployment of remote sites as high power density of HTS allowed for use of smaller VSAT antennas